Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has shared his verdict on Liverpool’s controversial penalty appeal during their Premier League defeat to Brentford — making it clear why no spot-kick was awarded when Cody Gakpo went down in the box.
Liverpool visited the Gtech Community Stadium hoping to end their losing streak but instead suffered a fourth straight league defeat. Brentford started strongly, with Dango Ouattara scoring after just five minutes. Kevin Schade doubled the lead before Milos Kerkez pulled one back for the Reds right before half-time. Igor Thiago then made it 3-1 from the penalty spot, and though Mohamed Salah scored late on, Liverpool ultimately fell 3-2.
The flashpoint came in the first half when Gakpo appeared to be tripped by Nathan Collins with Liverpool trailing 2-0. Referee Simon Hooper dismissed the appeals, and VAR upheld the decision, stating: “The referee’s call of no penalty to Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR – it was deemed there was no foul by Collins on Gakpo.”
The frustration among Liverpool supporters grew when Brentford later received a penalty for a foul by Virgil van Dijk on Ouattara.
Addressing the incident, Keith Hackett told Football Insider:
> “Referee Simon Hooper was in an excellent position to judge if there was any contact worthy of a penalty.
“Frankly, there was no clear evidence of contact, and without that, VAR was correct not to intervene.
“When referees are close to the action, their decisions carry more credibility. Without clear proof of contact, a penalty should not be given.”
Liverpool will now aim to bounce back, beginning with a Carabao Cup clash against Crystal Palace in midweek before hosting Aston Villa at Anfield on November 1.
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