Ref boss admits Liverpool denied penalty in Arsenal draw

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has come out and stated that Liverpool should have received a penalty against Arsenal this season.

The two sides played out a 1-1 draw when Mohamed Salah and Gabriel scored the goals.

However, a Martin Odegaard handball in the box was not punished, despite a VAR check.

Speaking on the latest edition of Mic'd Up, Webb said: "So do I [think it's a penalty]. The referee on the field recognized that Odegaard had slipped and saw his arm go towards the ground.

"We talk about 'supporting arms'. If somebody falls, breaks their fall with the arm, it's all very natural and a pretty well-established concept. In this situation. though, there's an important difference to a normal play that's falling.

"This is not just Odegaard accidentally falling onto the ball. He does slip, his arm does go out, but he actually pulls his arm back in towards his body, which is when the ball makes contact with the arm.

"The VAR looked at that aspect. He felt it was a case of Odegaard trying to make himself actually smaller by bringing the arm back towards the body. That is the element that's important here.

"Whether it's instinctive or deliberate, he gets a huge advantage by bringing the arm back towards the ball. All the feedback we got afterwards was very clear. The game expects a penalty in this situation. I would agree."