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Liverpool has been informed it was correctly denied a spot-kick against Brentford - with the call being described as 'one of the best decisions this season'. That's the view of former Premier League official Mark Clattenburg.
During the opening period of Saturday's 3-2 loss in the capital, the Reds' Cody Gakpo was sent tumbling following a challenge from Nathan Collins. Official Simon Hooper dismissed the away side's protests and shortly afterwards, Brentford doubled its advantage.
Following the match, Arne Slot suggested that 'every referee in the world' would've awarded Liverpool a spot-kick for Collins' challenge. However, Clattenburg firmly disagrees with him.
"I have been a big critic of referees recently, but I want to praise Simon Hooper here," Clattenburg said on the Whistleblowers podcast. "There's a couple of things a referee is going to look at.
"First, is the defender's leg planted before any contact. The leg was already there. The second is to look at the attacker's arms. If you watch a school child fall in the playground, they automatically put their arms out to protect themselves.
"Watch Gakpo's reaction - his hands are in the air, and that tells me he's looking for the decision. He sees Collins' leg and anticipates it. That gives a top referee all the signs they need to play on.
"It's probably one of the best decisions I have seen this season. There's huge pressure, it's one of the biggest sides in the country. To make that decision in a split-second is incredible."
Clattenburg wasn't alone in his agreement with the decision. Video assistant referee Chris Kavanagh reviewed Hooper's call and concurred that it wasn't a penalty.
Gakpo's tumble, Clattenburg contended, bore the 'telltale signs' of a dive. He elaborated: "If you fall, your natural reaction is to put your arms out to protect yourself. If you don't put your hands up, you're going to hurt yourself. We're looking for natural reactions. That's a telltale sign."
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Liverpool found itself on the wrong end of another penalty decision in the second half - this time from a different referee. Virgil van Dijk collided with Brentford's Dango Ouattara at the edge of the penalty area and substitute referee Tim Robinson, who'd taken over from Hooper at half-time due to an injury, initially awarded a free-kick.
However, VAR spotted that the challenge occurred on the line. This meant that Van Dijk's foul was technically within the 18-yard box and thus a penalty, enabling Igor Thiago to extend the lead to 3-1.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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