Liverpool took the lead in controversial circumstances at Elland Road after the ball struck Trent Alexander-Arnold on his arm in the build up to Cody Gakpo’s 35th-minute strike.
Alexander-Arnold dispossessed Leeds left-back Junior Firpo inside his own half before playing a one-two with Mo Salah and sliding a pass across the goal for Gakpo to tap in at the back post.
However, replays clearly showed that the ball hit the right-back’s arm while he made an interception from Firpo’s attempted ball forward.
As the on-field referee Simon Hooper saw the incident in real time, the VAR officials had two questions to consider when making their judgement: Was it a deliberate action? And was a clear and obvious error made by the referee?
Evidently, they felt that the answer was no on both counts and therefore the goal was allowed to stand.
GAKPO!!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 17, 2023
Liverpool take the leadpic.twitter.com/S7M0jH6zxT
“Initially I didn’t think it was handball, I thought his hand was beside his body,” said Brentford defender Ben Mee on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“But I think you see from this replay he just moves his arm [towards the ball]. I do think it’s handball.
“I think you see from this replay, the movement towards the ball.”
“I think there’s doubt,” contested Jamie Carragher. “For me, where it hits him it looks like his hand is sticking out.
“Even before Firpo’s actually done anything, he [Alexander-Arnold] has got himself in a position where you think the ball might hit you.
“There’s no doubt that it [his arm] moves out. Now whether that’s because the ball’s there or is naturally where his arm was going to go… I think it could have gone either way.”
Leeds’ frustrations were compounded just three minutes later when Mo Salah doubled Liverpool’s lead.
Luis Sinisterra grabbed one back with a cute finish from an Ibrahima Konate error before the visitors ran riot with further goals from Diogo Jota (2), Salah again and Darwin Nunez off the bench sealed an emphatic 6-1 win.
While Salah was named man of the match, Alexander-Arnold excelled once again in a new central midfield role, helping himself to two assists on the night after setting up Nunez with a trademark precision pass late on.
After providing just two assists in his opening 27 Premier League games of 2022-23, Alexander-Arnold looks to be ending a difficult season on a high with three assists in his last two games against Arsenal and Leeds.
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