Howard Webb admits Liverpool should have had penalty for Odegaard handball
PGMOL Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has admitted that Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty for Martin Odegaard's handball in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal on December 23.
Jurgen Klopp's side were denied the chance to top the table on Christmas Day due to their stalemate with the Gunners, who took the lead through Gabriel Magalhaes before Mohamed Salah drew the Reds level.
However, Arsenal survived a major scare in the first half, where the ball struck the arm of captain Odegaard with his hand planted into the ground inside the penalty area, leading to vehement calls for a penalty.
Neither on-field referee Chris Kavanagh nor VAR official David Coote saw fit to award a spot kick, though, with the former justifying the decision by stating that Odegaard's hand was on the floor.
Meanwhile, Coote argued that not giving a penalty was the correct decision given that Odegaard was falling to the floor and trying to move his arm into his body, and he was backed up by assistant VAR Lee Betts.
However, speaking with ex-Liverpool striker on Premier League Productions programme Match Officials: Mic'd Up, Webb conceded that the Reds should have been given a penalty, claiming that Odegaard gained a «huge advantage» by bringing his arm towards the ball.
After Owen claimed that he would expect a penalty in that situation, Webb replied: «So do I. The referee on the field recognized that Odegaard had slipped and saw his arm go towards the ground.
»We talk about 'supporting arms'. If somebody falls, breaks their fall with the arm, it's all very natural and a pretty well-established concept. In this situation. though, there's an important difference to a normal play that's falling.
«This is not just Odegaard accidentally falling
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