Former referee states clearly! 'Timber' should have been sent off for pulling 'Isak's' shirt in Arsenal's away win over Liverpool.
Keith Hackett, former chief referee of PGMOL and ex-FIFA official, expressed his opinion that Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber deserved a red card for pulling Liverpool striker Alexander Isak’s shirt during the Premier League match in which the "Gunners" won 1-0 away against the "Reds" last Sunday.
The incident happened as Isak was running to meet a cross from Bradley Barcola to head the ball into the goal, but Timber used his hand to pull Isak's shirt, disrupting his movement. Replays clearly show the Dutch defender grabbing the Liverpool striker’s shirt. However, the on-field referee did not award a penalty, and the VAR team did not intervene.
Recently, Hackett told Football Insider that Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty for that incident and questioned the refereeing team's decisions.
"The replay during halftime clearly shows that Jurrien Timber escaped conceding a penalty. The video clearly shows him holding Alexander Isak’s shirt," he said.
"VAR stated everything was correct, but the Arsenal player was firmly holding the shirt. The referee should have been called to review the sideline monitor. This was a clear foul, and Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty."
Furthermore, the former chief referee believes that upon detailed review of the replay, Timber should have also received a red card for clearly obstructing a goal-scoring opportunity.
The match featured several other notable moments, especially near the end with player clashes and time-wasting by the visiting team, leading to heavy criticism of on-field referee Andy Madley’s management throughout the game.