The Premier League has offered an explanation regarding the decision not to award Liverpool a penalty when Cody Gakpo went down inside the box during their clash with Brentford.
Gakpo fell late in the first half, but replays showed minimal to no contact with the Brentford defender, prompting the league to clarify the referee’s call.
In a statement posted on X by the Premier League Match Center, it was confirmed: “The referee’s decision not to award a penalty to Liverpool was reviewed and upheld by VAR, concluding that Collins did not foul Gakpo.”
Shortly after the incident, Kevin Schade doubled Brentford’s lead by sprinting past Ibrahima Konaté to slot the ball beyond Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Milos Kerkez pulled one back for Liverpool deep into first-half stoppage time. However, it was later revealed that referee Simon Hooper suffered an injury and was replaced by Tim Robinson for the second half.
The controversy didn’t end there. Brentford were later awarded a penalty following Virgil van Dijk’s challenge on Dango Ouattara.
Initially, replacement referee Robinson signaled for a free kick, but VAR intervened to confirm that the foul occurred on the edge of the penalty box.
Igor Thiago stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, restoring Brentford’s two-goal advantage.
