Keith Hackett: New camera angle of Arsenal vs Liverpool incident confirms penalty should’ve been awarded
Liverpool and Arne Slot can feel aggrieved after Anthony Taylor decided against awarding a spot-kick versus Arsenal on Thursday.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Leandro Trossard should have been punished again for a foul in the penalty area.
The Belgian picked up an early yellow card as referee Taylor stamped his mark on proceedings at the Emirates on 8 January, before bundling Florian Wirtz over in the area in the 48th minute.
In the first half, Jeremie Frimpong went down under pressure from Piero Hincapie, only for penalty calls to be waved away, and the same happened with Wirtz despite a lengthy VAR check.
He has struggled since arriving from the Bundesliga, but after jinking around several opposition players, fans were on their feet, and then had their hands in the air as he was bumped to the ground.
Florian Wirtz robbed of penalty after Leandro Trossard collision
Having originally viewed the incident, Hackett was pretty certain that a spot-kick should have been awarded, and he could not be any more adamant after seeing a second angle emerge online.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about a second penalty call for the Reds, the former referee said: “Liverpool have a strong case for a penalty kick. The Arsenal player deliberately blocks off his opponent.
“In law, this would be classed as unfair impeding with contact. I do believe that the Liverpool player was making a genuine effort towards goal and was fouled.
“The second angle confirms and underpins my view that a penalty kick should have been awarded. The Arsenal player turns his back on his opponent and blocks him off. It is a deliberate action to foul his opponent and stop him from making progress.”
Wirtz’s stats shows he’s finally coming of age at Liverpool
Despite starting up front as a lone striker, Wirtz had a huge impact at the Emirates, often dropping deep to pick up possession, while also creating chaos in the final third.
During his 90 minutes on the pitch, he completed 94 per cent of his passes, created one chance, attempted three dribbles, won 100 per cent of his tackles, and won four recoveries [FotMob].
He was also strong on the ball, not once being dispossessed, winning 67 per cent of his ground duels, and also winning a free-kick. The German was not afraid to put his body on the line.
Fans have been waiting for the £116million man to explode into life, and while he was not the finished product in North London, it was easily one of his best performances since arriving.