Why Liverpool conceded penalty against Brentford as controversial VAR intervention explained

Liverpool have suffered three consecutive defeats in the Premier League and now have a mountain to climb at the Gtech Community Stadium

Liverpool were given a mountain to climb against Brenford after Virgil van Dijk conceded a penalty.

The Reds were 2-1 down after trailing to two goals courtesy of Dango Outtara and Kevin Schade. Milos Kerkez then pulled one goal back in stoppage time.

Matters were made worse when Outtara dribbled away from Liverpool box, but was tripped by Van Dijk, which was initially awarded by Tim Robinson as a free-kick. After a VAR review, he was instructed to award a penalty.

Communicating with the stadium, Robinson said: “After review, the challenge by Liverpool No 4 is on the line. My final decision is penalty.”

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The official Premier League Match Centre account on X (formerly Twitter) stated: “56’ VAR OVERTURN After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of free-kick to Brentford.”

Igor Thiago made no mistake from the spot, coolly rolling the ball past Giorgi Mamardashvili to score his seventh goal of the season.

In the first half, Arne Slot’s side saw penalty appeal waved away, when Cody Gakpo went down in the Brenford box.

TNT Sports pundits Joe Cole and Steve McManaman both believe the right decision was made on the field.

“No, he goes down too easy,” former Chelsea midfielder, Cole said. “He doesn’t quite get there, he goes down too easy. He’s waiting for the contact – I think it’s the right decision.”

Meanwhile, Reds icon McManaman added: “Yeah, I think so. As he puts his leg across, he doesn’t stand on his foot and he’s fallen over before the contact happens. I agree with the referee there.”

As it stands, Liverpool are on the brink of a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, following losses to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Manchester United. They will face Palace (Carabao Cup), Aston Villa (Premier League), and Real Madrid (Champions League) in a trio of home fixtures.

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