Jurgen Klopp blasts ‘how can that not be a penalty?’ after Martin Odegaard ‘goes full Lebron James’ against Liverpool
JURGEN KLOPP blasted “how can you say that’s not a penalty?” after Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard got away with a handball.
The Premier League title challengers drew 1-1 in a thrilling encounter at Anfield on Saturday night.
— KinG £ (@xKGx__) December 23, 2023
No penalty for Liverpool !!!pic.twitter.com/eFcVLFPtXS
But Liverpool boss Klopp was left bemused as to why his side had not had the chance to claim all three points.
Arsenal had flown into the lead through defender Gabriel Magalhaes‘ towering header just four minutes in.
It was then that Liverpool had a golden penalty appeal waved away by referee Chris Kavanagh.
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s deflected free-kick spun towards Gunner skipper Martin Odegaard.
And, with Odegaard losing his balance slightly, the ball clearly struck his hand, before bouncing to the ground away from Liverpool’s Mo Salah.
Reds stars, and all of Anfield, screamed for a penalty, as Odegaard sheepishly played on.
Kavanagh played on, and a lengthy VAR check decided it was not clear and obvious.
Speaking after the game, in which Salah levelled with a first-half stunner, Klopp said: “The penalty situation is a weird situation.
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“I don’t know if the ref can see it, but you look at it and I’m not sure how you can say it’s not a penalty.”
Gary Neville on commentary had called Odegaard “lucky” and suggested it was the slip that saved him.
But viewers on Sky Sports were baffled.
One posted: “Odegaard went full LeBron. How is this not a penalty?”
A second wrote: “Odegaard playing basketball in the box against Liverpool. Is there anything he cannot do?”
A third commented: “How is this not even a penalty?”
A fourth said: “That is crazy, clear pen.”
Another added: “He quite literally grabs the ball and pushes it out the way.”
Sky Sports have claimed that PGMOL has stated that the reason the penalty was not given as “Odegaard’s arm is moving towards the body and not the ball as he goes down.”
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