Alisson vs Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Many believe that Arsenal should have won a penalty in the first half against Liverpool on Saturday night.
Arsenal had a great chance to open the scoring after 16 minutes.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang delivered a chipped cross into the Liverpool box towards Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Mkhitaryan got his head on the ball, however his effort went narrowly wide of the goal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s header vs Liverpool
But should Arsenal have won a foul on Mkhitaryan from Alisson?
The Liverpool goalie splattered into the Armenian midfielder, and Alisson made no contact with the ball.
Alisson takes out Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Interestingly Mkhitaryan reference that incident on social media after the game.
Bernd Leno vs Virgil van Dijk
Minutes later it was the turn of Liverpool fans to complain about a penalty which was never awarded.
After the match Jurgen Klopp joked that if he was on the pitch instead of defender Virgil van Dijk he’d have scored a hat-trick of headers.
Van Dijk’s first chance to score a header came from a free-kick.
The Dutch centre-half had a free header in the Arsenal box, however VVD’s effort cannoned off the post.
Virgil van Dijk’s header vs Arsenal which went wide
However immediately after connecting with his header, van Dijk was wiped out by Gunners goalie Bernd Leno.
To be clear, just like Alisson, Leno made no contact with the ball before smashing into his opponent.
Bernd Leno wipes out Virgil van Dijk
Double standards
Are there double standards in football?
In the Guardian on Monday, the case was made that if either Alisson or Leno’s challenges would have been made by outfield players, spot-kicks would have instantly been awarded:
Different rules apply to goalkeepers, awarded fouls when given the slightest touch and forgiven when they commit pseudo-assault.
Both incidents were more serious and dangerous than a standard foul from an outfielder: two well-built, 6ft 3in-plus athletes charging at an opponent at speed, and in Leno’s case smashing Van Dijk in the face with a forearm.
It is a serious flaw in the rules that neither were penalised.
Also see: More fears Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is upset at Arsenal after Liverpool.
Alexandre Lacazette celebrated his Arsenal goal before it crossed the Liverpool goal-line.
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