Steven Gerrard has revealed his frustrations with VAR after it failed to award a penalty to Liverpool after Jurrien Timber was caught on camera pulling Alexander Isak's shirt on Sunday

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has hit out at an "embarrassing" decision from VAR against the Reds in Sunday's defeat to Arsenal at Anfield.

The Merseyside outfit went behind early on through Kai Havertz, but quickly fought back to put pressure on the visitors, with promising opportunities coming and going through the match. Perhaps the closest chance didn't even result in an effort on goal, as a tempting cross into the box was teed up for Alexander Isak, with the striker throwing himself towards the flying ball.

Unfortunately for the Sweden international, he narrowly missed the delivery, but he could have got something on the ball if it were not for some sustained shirt pulling during his attempt to flick it goalwards.

There were clear appeals from the bench, with Andoni Iraola adamant that the referee should have given a penalty, while Isak's ability to stay on his feet and not call for the foul seemed to count against the Reds on the day.

For Gerrard, who was at Anfield on the day, there were clear grounds for the VAR to overturn the decision and give a spotkick to the home side. Speaking on The Overlap Daily about the decision, he said: "You could definitely see that there was something there.

"From where I was sitting, it wasn't clear, and I wasn't sitting there thinking to myself, well, that's a pen, it's a pen, but the crowd reaction, you're going off it wondering, is there something there?

"And the speed of the cross and how it happened and the reaction, you can understand how a referee could possibly miss that or think there's not much in there. But for someone to sit in, I don't know what they sit in at the moment, with all these screens around, how you miss that in the VAR seat is an absolute embarrassment.

"Who was it in VAR? There's no excuse for it, is there, really? I'd be saying the same if this was anyone. To hold someone's shirt for that long and have three, four opportunities to see that and slow it down, and the amount of cameras that are in stadiums at the moment, I think it's poor from Stuart Attwell."

Those frustrations were clear after the game, with Liverpool boss Iraola suggesting that he may have to tell Isak to go to ground in the future, if decisions like those are not being given.

For Gerrard, it's a strange scenario, as he added: "You can't win in that situation because you're trying to make it more dramatic to try and convince the referee and then people say you're cheating. In this day and age, with the amount of cameras and technology we've got, you shouldn't have to make the most of anything.

"Especially if someone is sitting there and watching it, he should know that was a clear pull for the length of time to stop you getting on the end of a cross, which was a goal-scoring opportunity. So it's a penalty, and I think Mikel Arteta said after the game they rode the luck at times and I think he's alluding to that incident."

Liverpool will feel aggrieved by the decision on the day, which may have proven costly in terms of points on the table, but attention will quickly need to turn towards the next run of games before the international break.