Martin Odegaard: William Saliba Admits Arsenal Were Lucky to Avoid Penalty vs Liverpool

• Martin Odegaard was lucky to get away with a handball offence inside his own area
• Liverpool were denied the penalty against Arsenal but managed to secure a draw nonetheless
• Odegaard's teammate, William Saliba, had a different view of the first-half incident

Martin Odegaard produced the most controversial moment in the much-anticipated Liverpool game vs Arsenal on December 23.

The Arsenal skipper slipped inside the area and grabbed the ball but was relieved to see referee Chris Kavanagh refuse to award a spot-kick. The Video Assistant Referee(VAR) did not intervene either.

The Norwegian had handled the ball with the Gunners leading after an early goal from Gabriel Magalhaes, which he(Odegaard) had created.

His handball kept the ball away from Mohamed Salah before the Gunners went on an attacking spree of their own on the other end.

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What Saliba said about Odegaard incident

Speaking after the game, Odegaard's teammate William Saliba has now 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," he told ViaPlay Sports via the Empire of the Kop.

Liverpool head Coach Jurgen Klopp slammed the VAR decision.

"I am pretty sure someone will come to explain to me why it was not a handball, but I don't know how. I don't say that the ref can see it because I don't know where he was at that moment. But how can a guy in an office see that and not conclude that maybe it could be worth the referee having another look?" he told Sky Sports.

Salah equalised for Liverpool in the 29th minute after a brilliant pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold. The game ended with both sides sharing the spoils.

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Why Odegaard wasn't penalised for handball

Sports Brief has also reported that 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.

But what do the Laws of the Game say about handballs and the awarding of penalties?