According to a report by Football London on Monday, November 2, 2026, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has explained why VAR officials decided not to award Liverpool a penalty following a controversial shirt-pulling incident involving Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber and striker Alexander Isak during Sunday's Premier League encounter at Anfield.

Arsenal secured an important 1-0 victory over Liverpool, with Kai Havertz scoring the decisive goal in the 16th minute. However, the result was accompanied by considerable controversy after Timber appeared to pull Isak's shirt while the Liverpool forward attempted to reach a cross inside the Arsenal penalty area.

Referee Andy Madley allowed the game to continue without awarding a penalty. VAR official Stuart Attwell subsequently reviewed the incident but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to overturn the referee's original decision.

Gallagher admitted that the officials faced a complicated situation because the available camera angles presented different views of the incident. He explained that the referee's initial perspective was not as revealing as the footage examined by VAR.

"It depends which angle you watch it from. The first angle, you see nothing. That is the referee's angle," he said.

"The second angle, which is what VAR looks at, and it is a lot more damning."

The former referee also suggested that overturning the decision could have attracted criticism from those who believe VAR should not interfere excessively with the referee's authority.

"VAR would be accused of re-refereeing if it is a penalty. It is a case of damned if they do and damned if they don't."

Nevertheless, Gallagher acknowledged that Timber was fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty after taking a considerable risk while defending against Isak.

"The more I watch it, the more I think he \[Timber\] has taken a big chance and has got lucky."

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright disagreed with the officials, arguing that Isak should not have needed to exaggerate the contact to attract their attention.

"It's obvious he's pulled is shirt. Why does he need to dive? He shouldn't have to make more of it," Wright said.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher and Tim Sherwood also questioned the decision, believing the shirt pull deserved further examination.

Meanwhile, Gallagher dismissed Liverpool's separate penalty appeal involving Cody Gakpo and Christos Tzolis, explaining that the ball had travelled beyond the forward's reach.

The decision has continued to generate discussions about VAR consistency, while Arsenal remain top of the Premier League following their victory at Anfield.