After four wins in a row, Liverpool FC had to settle for a goalless draw against Leeds United. After the game, the lack of a penalty call was a topic of discussion, with LFC coach Arne Slot complaining about a lack of consistency in the referees’ decisions.
What happened? In the 14th minute, Ibrahima Konaté sent his compatriot Hugo Ekitiké on his way with a long ball. The Frenchman held his own in a duel with Leeds defender Jaka Bijol, who was extremely aggressive and pushed the boundaries of what is allowed. The move did result in a good chance: Ekitiké crossed to Florian Wirtz, whose shot was blocked. But then a discussion arose as to whether Bijol’s holding should have resulted in a penalty.
LFC coach Arne Slot initially took the wind out of the sails of this question at the press conference. “No, because he stayed on his feet,” said the Dutchman, who then went on to express his displeasure. “If he had fallen, there would probably have been a penalty.” That is precisely the problem, according to Slot: the lack of consistency in dealing with such scenes. “This season, we have so often been fouled in the penalty area and not been awarded a penalty. Maybe that’s why our players think, ‘OK, let’s just try to stay on our feet.’“
He specifically cited the example of Cody Gakpo, who, in his opinion, was brought down illegally in the 2-3 defeat at Brentford at the end of October, but was only met with a weary ”play on” from the referee. “Maybe that’s why our players try everything to stay on their feet. Then it’s difficult for VAR to intervene – or for the referee to award a penalty.”
First penalty for Liverpool? “Quite surprising”
However, he would never consider encouraging his players to dive in the future. “I’m not going to encourage them to do that – and if I told you now that I was going to start encouraging them to do that, we’d probably never get a penalty again. So, no.”
There was a hint of irony in this statement, as LFC has only been awarded one penalty in the current Premier League season. “For the team that has the most possession and attacks so much in and around the opponent’s penalty area, that’s perhaps quite surprising,” said Slot. On the other hand, the Dutchman complained that “we’ve had a few called against us where there was hardly any contact: Brentford away, Crystal Palace in the Community Shield – I could go on and on with examples.”
Slot certainly did not want to use the incident as an excuse or reason why his team failed to win Thursday night’s game against Leeds. After all, his team still had plenty of time and opportunities to score a goal in other ways. “We saw a team that wanted it, that kept trying. But it was difficult for us to find a gap.”
