Keith Hackett furious at Ibrahima Konate incident in Liverpool win vs Sunderland: ‘Our game is being tarnished’
Chris Kavanagh was right to not award a penalty to Brian Brobbey on the stroke of half-time in Sunderland’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday.
That is according to ex-FIFA referee and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that if anything, a free kick should have been awarded to the visitors during the incident.
Sunderland had been unbeaten at home in the Premier League in 2025-26, but they saw that record fall in midweek as Liverpool eventually found a way through their defence.
Arne Slot has been under pressure on Merseyside after some poor results of late, but Virgil van Dijk was on hand to head home and secure the points for his team in the 60th minute.
Keith Hackett bemoans Premier League grappling amid Brian Brobbey controversy
Hackett exclusively told Football Insider earlier this week that Brobbey should have been sent off for Sunderland in their defeat to Arsenal last weekend, and he was at the centre of attention once again in midweek.
The Dutchman had been grappling with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate throughout the evening, as the pair enjoyed several physical clashes, especially during the first half.
Their battle came to a head in first-half stoppage time, when Brobbey appeared to get beyond his marker inside the box, before falling to the ground as the cross came in.
Sunderland saw their shouts for a penalty waved away by Kavanagh, and VAR official Darren England agreed with his colleague’s decision.
Hackett also felt that the officiating duo were right to not award a penalty, and bemoaned the grappling that he feels is becoming commonplace in the Premier League.
“Our game is getting tarnished by players who want to wrestle each other rather than play football,” Hackett exclusively told Football Insider.
“I can fully understand why both the referee and VAR did not intervene. Frankly, I would have taken a safety-first approach and awarded a free kick to the defending team.”
Liverpool make their first-half dominance count
Liverpool fans have grown frustrated with Slot of late amid a string of inconsistent performances, but his side showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in midweek.
The Reds dominated proceedings throughout the first half, as just 15 per cent of the game was spent with the ball inside their third of the pitch, but they inexplicably went in level at the break.
It threatened to be a case of what could have been for the Merseysiders in the early stages of the second period, before Van Dijk popped up with a crucial goal just after the hour mark.
The Anfield outfit are desperately battling to try and fight their way back into Champions League contention, and their second-half efforts were invaluable after Manchester United were held away at West Ham on Tuesday.
Liverpool had to withstand some heavy pressure from Sunderland in the latter stages of the game, but they hung on to show their steel once again.