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Andoni Iraola shows his class with verdict on Arsenal red card controversy

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola showed his class with his verdict on the Arsenal red card controversy at Anfield, when Noni Madueke escaped a sending off in the second half

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.

Andoni Iraola accepted that Noni Madueke staying on the field was the correct call during Liverpool's 1-0 defeat against Arsenal, though he was less impressed by the lack of a penalty when Alexander Isak was pulled back.

Madueke escaped a red card when he and Alexis Mac Allister clashed. The Arsenal forward was already on a booking at that point, but referee Andy Madley decided against giving him another card.

And Iraola was content that the right decision was made on that occasion. However, he was less gracious when it came to Isak's jersey being tugged, suggesting that in the future, his players might have to dive.

"I've just seen one replay," Iraola said. "I think a red card has to be more clear movement, so it didn't look like a clear red card, no.

"There are a lot of positives but it's not enough against these teams. We had very good situations inside the box that we haven't finished properly, but I value how we played after the 1-0 a lot."

The Isak shirt pull was in the first half, when Jurrien Timber appeared to have a hold of the Swede. As he went to head the ball from a Bradley Barcola cross, he was clearly impeded.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 01: Andoni Iraola, Manager of Liverpool and Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, embrace before the Premier League 2026/27 match between Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC at Anfield on November 01, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta embrace before the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield

"There is a clear grab of the shirt," Iraola told Match of the Day. "Alex [Isak] was just in front of him, he was going to head in front of the goal but couldn't because he grabbed the shirt.

"If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty 100 per cent. It should be like this but it is what it is. Next time, the managers should tell Alex to go to the floor, otherwise they won't call it."

On what the answer should be in the future, Iraola added: "The answer is you have to dive. If you don't dive, they won't call it."

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, claimed not to have seen the penalty shout, and instead chose to focus on what was a massive result as his side attempts to retain the Premier League title.

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"Extremely proud," the Arsenal boss said. "It's been 14 years (since the Gunners won at Anfield) and that's a long time.

"I'm sure we made everybody attached to the club extremely proud today. Not only for the victory but for the way we've done it, the spirit we've shown. Especially considering what happened four days ago when you lose and go out of the cup against a team you are supposed to beat.

"That's the magical part of this game, it can take you to really bad places but four days later you have the opportunity to do something really historic and we've done it."

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