Liverpool vs Arsenal: PGMOL Explain Why Martin Odegaard Got Away With Penalty Incident

• Liverpool and Arsenal cancelled themselves out in a riveting match at Anfield on December 23
• Martin Odegaard provided a contentious moment when he handled the ball inside his area
• The referees' body in the Premier League have understandably issued an explanation for the incident

Liverpool and Arsenal played out to an evenly contested one-all draw at Anfield on December 23 to maintain the same status quo at the top of the Premier League table.

The visitors needed a draw to head into Christmas as league leaders after Aston Villa had dropped points on Friday evening.

They looked sharp, taking the lead inside the first five minutes after Gabriel Magalhaes planted a Martin Odegaard freekick past Alisson Becker. Mohamed Salah responded with a rasping shot past just before the half-hour mark.

There was a bit of controversy in the 20th minute when Odegaard appeared to handle the ball inside the area. Centre referee Chris Kavanagh waved away the Liverpool appeals, with his Video Assistant David Coote rubberstamping the decision.

4 red cards shown during chaotic Roma vs Fiorentina Serie A clash

Football

Why Odegaard wasn't penalised for handball

The Norwegian turned in the penalty area and as he attempted to play the ball, he slipped and visibly grabbed it. The referees' body, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), explained that Odegaard's arm was moving towards his body after he slipped, not the ball, as reported by Sky Sports via the Mirror.

But what do the Laws of the Game say about handballs and the awarding of penalties? A part of Law 12 of the handbook states that it is a handball offence if a player;

1. Deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example, moving the hand/arm towards the ball.

2. Touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger.

In the Arsenal captain's case, law 1 was applied, and it was the referee's view that his hand touching the ball wasn't deliberate. Kavanagh wasn't referred to the pitchside monitor.

Sub-par Arsenal held at PSV Eindhoven

Football

William Saliba: It was a penalty

Sports Brief has also reported that Odegaard's teammate William Saliba admitted that it was a penalty in a rare exhibition of honesty from an opponent.

"Yeah, of course. It was a penalty, but I’m not the ref and they have to accept it,"