Liverpool suffered a number of frustrating refereeing decisions in their defeat to Brentford. (Photo by Ryan Pearce/Getty Images)
Liverpool are in a very difficult situation after suffering four consecutive defeats in the Premier League over the weekend. Arn Slott’s side lost 3-2 to Brentford, dropping them to seventh place in the table.
Slott wasn’t happy after the game in London, and attention was focused on multiple penalty calls that didn’t go the team’s way at the G-Tech Community Stadium.
Mark Clattenburg agrees with Van Dijk on Gakpo penalty call
According to TBR Football, Mark Clattenburg spoke about several big calls in Brentford’s match against Liverpool, including the penalty awarded to the home team for a foul on Virgil van Dijk. The former referee made it clear that his decision to award the spot-kick to the Dutch defender was the correct one.
“Virgil van Dijk clearly made contact with Dango Ouattara’s foot on the penalty area line. The penalty area line is part of the penalty area, so any contact would result in a penalty. My first impression was that the contact appeared to be on the outside, but from every angle you can see it was on the line.”
Clattenburg also insisted Liverpool made the right decision not to award a penalty after Kodi Gakpo went down under a challenge inside the Brentford area.
“Kodi Gakpo wanted a penalty kick when he was challenged inside the penalty area. It was clear that Gakpo saw the defender’s feet and was thrown to the ground, so the referee’s decision not to award the spot kick was excellent.”
“Referees check for unnatural movements by attackers when awarding a penalty kick, and it is clear from replays that Gakpo’s arms were above his head. If it was a natural fall, his arms would have extended to stop the fall.”
Liverpool will be desperate to get back on track as soon as possible. They host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup in midweek and then host in-form Aston Villa at Anfield at the weekend as they look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.