Referee chief admits big mistake as Liverpool vs Arsenal audio released

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for the officials’ body PGMOL, has acknowledged an error in officiating during the Liverpool vs Arsenal match.

Referees’ chief Howard Webb says Liverpool should have had a penalty for a handball by Martin Odegaard during their 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

The referee, Chris Kavanagh, did not give Liverpool a penalty during the Premier League match last month. He made this decision after reviewing replays of Odegaard seemingly touching the ball with his hand inside the box.

Audio from the VAR process from this Liverpool vs Arsenal game at Anfield is out. The footage has shared how Kavanagh rebuffed Liverpool’s penalty plea and said: “No, his hand’s on the floor.”

“The referee on the field recognized that Odegaard had slipped and saw his arm go towards the ground,” Webb said on Match Officials Mic’d Up.

“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 afterward was very clear.

“This is one that didn’t reach the right outcome on that basis.”

Now that Howard Webb has confirmed that this was a penalty against Odegard we should go back and give Liverpool the penalty against Arsenal pic.twitter.com/jsdDdmVgnh

— Out of Context EPL (@Out_contextEPL) January 17, 2024