Gabby Agbonlahor stunned by Leeds United vs Liverpool controversy amid ‘wild’ Trent Alexander-Arnold verdict
Gabby Agbonlahor was left bemused by Liverpool’s opening goal against Leeds United being allowed to stand at Elland Road.
The Whites went behind in the 35th minute after a relatively even opening, as Junior Firpo was dispossessed out on the left by Trent Alexander-Arnold with what looked like an obvious handball.
The England right-back exchanged passes with Mo Salah and then slid a ball across the box for Cody Gakpo to tap into an empty net at the back post, but VAR saw no issue with proceedings and allowed the goal to stand.
The talkSPORT pundit reacted live during the game and posted on Twitter: “How is that not handball?? Rules are wild!”
Charitable
Firpo’s loose touch followed by toe-poking it into Alexander-Arnold put Leeds United in trouble unnecessarily, but it takes no stretch of the imagination to picture the goal being ruled out if the roles were reversed.
Nobody understanding the handball rule has become a tiresome cliche in modern football, but that situation is not helped by apparently obvious instances being ignored.
The Reds man had his arm up and blocked the ball into his path with his elbow, yet without an explanation from the VAR there it is unknown whether they didn’t think it was handball or some random ‘phases of play’ calculation meant they couldn’t intervene.
The Whites were still reeling from that decision when they went two behind through Salah soon after, again after losing possession needlessly in midfield through Weston McKennie.
Twice the home side shot themselves in the foot when they had the ball, but luck was certainly not with them from an officiating perspective, when a decision to rule the first out could have bailed them out and potentially stopped the quick-fire second.
That it was Elland Road summer transfer target Gakpo who finished off the move for the opener won’t have gone unnoticed either by the frustrated Whites fans on a night that then went from bad to worse.
In other Leeds United news, a transfer auction is on the cards as the club look to add a talented “wonderkid”.