Liverpool presented with 'clear evidence' claim after Cody Gakpo denied penalty vs Brentford

Cody Gakpo of Liverpool

Liverpool have been told why the correct decision was made for the Reds not to be awarded a penalty during their defeat to Brentford.

The Reds lost 3-2 to the Bees in the Premier League clash on Saturday night to lose further ground on leaders Arsenal.

Arne Slot's side have now lost their last four top-flight matches following previous defeats to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Liverpool are now seventh in the Premier League table and will face Palace in the Carabao Cup in their next fixture.

The Reds were on the receiving end of a penalty after a VAR check saw Virgil van Dijk penalised for a foul on Dango Ouattara in the second half.

It was before the interval that Liverpool wanted a penalty for a potential foul on Cody Gakpo.

However, referee Simon Hooper did not award the spot kickand the on-field decision was confirmed by VAR.

Former top-flight referee Keith Hackett has now given his verdict on the decision, believing that the correct call was made by Hooper and the video assistant.

Hackett

“Referee Simon Hooper was ideally positioned to detect if there was any contact to award a penalty kick," Hackett told Football Insider.

“Frankly, there is no clear evidence that there was actual contact and therefore without that evidence rightly VAR did not intervene.

“These decisions are so much more credible when the referee is in close proximity to play to judge accurately what has taken place.”

“Without that clear evidence of contact, you would not award a penalty kick.”

Slot was asked about both penalty situations after Liverpool's defeat to Brentford, where he expressed his frustrations about the decisions.

Slot

"If I say it was a soft penalty I hope you don’t say it’s an excuse, but it was a very soft penalty,"

"I don't think the referee was thinking to give the penalty but then they checked it and if it's given as a foul then it’s a penalty. That bad luck maybe counts if you play a game like we did today.

"It's a crucial moment just before the 2-0, there was a moment where Cody dribbled inside the box and they didn't play the ball.

“I think if you show both situations to every referee in the world, maybe both are nothing but if I had to give one of the two penalties I’d give the one to Cody."

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