Alexander Isak was the victim of an unpunished foul in Newcastle United's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield on 1 November, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has ruled — finding that a shirt pull by Jurrien Timber should have resulted in a penalty kick.

In the 21st minute, Isak stretched to meet a cross from Bradley Barcola but was dragged back by Timber grabbing his shirt. Referee Andy Madley waved play on, and video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart Attwell chose not to intervene. Replays, however, made the contact difficult to dispute.

The KMI Panel voted 4:1 that a penalty should have been awarded on the field, and 3:2 that the VAR should have stepped in and directed Madley to review the incident at the pitchside monitor.

Iraola's frustration

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola did not hide his anger after the match. Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, he said: "There is a clear grab of the shirt. Alex was just in front of him. He was going to head in front of the goal, but couldn't because he grabbed the shirt."

Iraola went further, suggesting the incident exposed a troubling dynamic in how referees respond to contact. "If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty, 100%. It should be like this, but it is what it is," he said.

The Liverpool manager added: "Next time, the managers should tell Alex to go to the floor, otherwise they won't call it. The answer is you have to dive. If you don't dive they won't call it."

Isak, to his credit, stayed on his feet throughout the incident. Arsenal led 1-0 at the time through a Kai Havertz goal — a lead that proved decisive as the scoreline never changed.

A second VAR error identified

The KMI Panel also identified a separate officiating failure from 31 October, ruling that Ipswich should have been awarded a penalty against Hull City after Nobel Mendy held back Dara O'Shea at a corner. Referee Peter Bankes did not spot the offence, and VAR Neil Davies took no action.

The match was level at 0-0 at the time of the incident. Ipswich eventually took the lead and the game finished 2-2.