Andoni Iraola, the Newcastle manager, said he will instruct his players to “go down” in future, after Liverpool were denied a penalty in their defeat by Arsenal. The incident came when striker Alexander Isak was fouled by Jurrien Timber, who pulled his shirt as he tried to head the ball from a Bradley Barcola cross. Despite the clear infringement, referee Andy Madley did not award the foul, and the decision was backed by VAR, which judged that the contact was not enough to overturn the call.
The moment was significant, as Liverpool were trailing 1-0 after Kai Havertz’s goal. Iraola, who was frustrated with the outcome, said: “There is a clear shirt pull. Alex was about to head the ball and couldn’t do it because they pulled his shirt. If he goes down, they give the penalty 100%.” The manager added that, on future occasions, managers should tell their players to “go down”, because, in his words, “if they don’t go down, they don’t give it”.
After the incident, Isak went to Timber, but did not appeal to the referee and stayed on his feet. Speaking to Sky Sports, Iraola reiterated that players will need to adapt to this reality. “It’s a shame that I’m asked this question, but honestly, yes, we have to tell them to go down, because otherwise they won’t give it. And then the referees complain that they go down,” he said.
The manager also said that the perception of minimal contact was the reason the play was not stopped, acknowledging that “it won’t change anything” if Pro Ref, the Premier League’s refereeing body, apologises for the mistake. Darren Cann, a former Premier League assistant referee, said that Timber “took a big risk by pulling the shirt” and that a foul could easily have been given in other circumstances.
Isak’s behaviour after the incident was also discussed, with former Liverpool player Danny Murphy saying that “Arsenal were lucky” and that Isak should have done more to attract the referee’s attention, especially at a crucial stage of the game. Gary Neville also agreed that the striker’s reaction was unusual, considering that a player would normally protest vigorously in such situations.
Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool captain, said: “We have 50 cameras. Why does he have to complain when everyone saw it?” However, the fact is that, for Liverpool, the refereeing decision cost important points in the race in the standings. The match ended in an adverse result and the controversy over the officiating continues to be a topic of debate.
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