Liverpool fans were left shocked by Gary Neville’s comments during Sky Sports’ coverage of the Carabao Cup final.
Newcastle took the lead at Wembley with Dan Burn heading home a brilliant goal just before halftime, sparking wild celebrations among their supporters. Early in the second half, Alexander Isak doubled the lead, finishing from a Jacob Murphy knockdown.
However, earlier in the match, Liverpool felt they were denied a clear penalty when Kieran Trippier appeared to handle the ball while contesting with Luis Diaz in the box. Referee John Brooks waved play on, and VAR also chose not to intervene.
Initially, Neville suggested it “looked like a penalty”, but after reviewing the incident, he changed his stance, saying it wasn’t worthy of a spot-kick — a shift in opinion that left Liverpool fans frustrated.
One fan posted: “In about 90 seconds, Gary Neville went from saying ‘In Europe, that’s a penalty’ to ‘That’s not a penalty’ when reacting to Trippier’s handball. Unreal.”
Commentator Peter Drury explained that VAR judged Trippier’s arm position as natural for balance, which is why no penalty was awarded.
Meanwhile, in the studio, Shay Given and Jamie Carragher agreed with Neville, saying it would have been harsh to penalize Trippier in that situation.