William Saliba admits Liverpool should have had a penalty for Odegaard handball | OneFootball

Arsenal propelled themselves to the summit of the Premier League after their enticing 1-1 draw with Liverpool, but things may have turned out differently had referee Chris Kavanagh deemed Martin Odegaard’s handball a worthy offence – a decision that William Saliba believes should have been given.

Gabriel opened the scoring early on in the 4th minute with a thumping header that left Reds goalkeeper Alisson helpless. Proceedings were then levelled by none other than Mohamed Salah as the Egyptian talisman latched onto the end of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exquisite through ball just before the half-hour mark – a goal that saw him etch his name on to the Premier League’s top 10 highest goalscorers of all time.

It was a thrilling contest in which Liverpool could’ve won with their superior efforts on goal – but both Arteta and Jürgen Klopp had to settle for a share of the spoils as the two - alongside Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa - continue to embark in a thrilling race for the 2023/24 Premier League title.

Saliba and Klopp disagreed with Kavanagh’s decision

Odegaard's handball offence may have flipped Liverpool's fortunes on its head

Those associated with the Reds will feel – understandably – aggrieved with Kavanagh’s decision to wave play on given Arsenal’s captain made a clear and obvious error in his own penalty area. Odegaard, who once trained with the Liverpool squad, appeared to slip before handling the ball in the penalty area 15 minutes after Arsenal took the lead.

Amid the protests from Salah and Co., Kavanagh allowed play to resume, while VAR chief David Coote decided not to inform him to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. The Norwegian’s intervention prevented Salah from baring down on goal and, therefore, a potential goalscoring opportunity – and Saliba believes that a penalty should’ve been given, though commented that it was not his decision to make.

“Yeah, of course it was a penalty. But I’m not the ref, and they have to accept it.”

During his post-match interview with Sky Sports, Klopp was visibly enraged at the decision, though ensured not to berate the referee on the basis that he may not have been in the correct position to make an informed decision. The German tactician did, however, make a dig at those situated in Stockley Park, claiming he was unsure how they agreed to not take another look at the incident.

PGMOL provides an explanation of why the penalty wasn’t given

Odegaard's hand was not moving towards the ball as he slipped

While Klopp comes to terms with the loss of two points and Odegaard continues to count his lucky stars, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have publicly reasoned Coote’s decision to not send Kavanagh to have another look. Although the ball did strike the hand of Odegaard, PGMOL claim that the movement of his arm is why Liverpool were not given a penalty at such an important time in the game. Because the midfielder’s arm was moving towards his body – and not towards the ball – not awarding a penalty was the correct, well-informed decision to make.

Liverpool will look to regain their place at the top of the table on Boxing Day as they travel to Turf Moor to right their wrongs, while Arsenal welcome West Ham United, who, on the back of a 2-0 win against Manchester United, will be looking to spoil the table-topping party at the Emirates Stadium.