The Premier League’s independent Key Match Incidents panel has ruled by 4-1 that Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty for Jurrien Timber’s hold on Alexander Isak in their 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal on 1 November. A separate 3-2 vote found that VAR should have sent Madley to the pitchside monitor because the non-call met the threshold for a clear and obvious error.
The incident fell in the 21st minute at Anfield, five minutes after Kai Havertz had put Arsenal in front. Bradley Barcola swung in a cross, Isak tried to meet it, and Timber held him back. Isak stayed on his feet and turned to confront the Dutch defender. Madley waved play on. Attwell did not intervene.
A 4-1 vote, with VAR split
The panel’s verdict sits inside the Premier League’s regular Key Match Incidents review, which publishes retrospective rulings on the biggest refereeing calls of each round. Four of the five panellists agreed Timber’s hold warranted a spot kick; three agreed VAR should have intervened. One voter argued the brief hold lacked clear impact on Isak’s ability to continue his run, a sign of how finely the call was weighed.
The Premier League figures published alongside the ruling show on-field decisions were judged correct 76% of the time in Matchweek 9. For the 2026-27 season so far, officials are running at 86% accuracy before VAR and 97% after, according to figures carried by Yahoo Sports.
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both retire from international football as legendary era ends
Iraola tells Isak to go down
Andoni Iraola, who took over at Anfield in the summer after Arne Slot was sacked, made his frustration public immediately after the full-time whistle on 1 November.
“The Alex one is a clear penalty. We can all see that [Timber] holds the t-shirt and the ball just goes one centimetre in front of Alex,” he told Sky Sports.
Iraola’s message to his striker was blunt. If the referee only responded to bodies hitting the turf, Isak would have to start hitting the turf. Asked directly whether he would tell the Sweden forward to go down in the box next time, Iraola answered “definitely.”
Virgil van Dijk echoed the complaint, questioning how the VAR room could not have acted on the replay.
Read also: Liverpool to offer Virgil van Dijk renewal after captain leaves door open to exit
“I think it was a clear penalty. I’ve seen it back, and I’ve seen it being given. It wasn’t meant to be. We have 50 cameras,” the Liverpool captain said after the match.
The result still stands
Nothing in the KMI process changes the scoreline. The admission is retrospective: it tells both clubs what the panel now thinks the right call was, but Havertz’s goal, and the three points it won, remain Arsenal’s.
Arsenal lead the Premier League, and Iraola’s side are rebuilding in his first season after the Slot dismissal and a £123m summer move for Barcola. Van Dijk and Isak return to the pitch at Anfield against Manchester United on 22 November once the international break is over, with a 4:30pm local time kick-off.
Read also: Pochettino’s next job: a United side 18th, one win in ten, Anfield on November 22
