3 talking points as Arsenal draw at Anfield to retain top spot

2. Officiating remains a seismic problem for English football

There were several questionable decisions from the officials during our draw against Liverpool and, although we benefited massively from the biggest one, it would be wrong to ignore the problem.

In the 20th minute of the game, Martin Odegaard, perhaps channelling his inner LeBron James, appeared to swat the ball away from Salah in the penalty area, before handling it a number of other times by his feet. Despite this, the referee and Video Assistant Referee (VAR) determined that it did not amount to a penalty - a decision which I admittedly cannot fathom.

Even William Saliba, when asked after the game, conceded that: “Of course, I think it was a penalty.”

Though we benefited this time, Arsenal have also been cost by awful decisions countless times over the last few seasons, and it is important to keep addressing them.

We definitely need to see a marked improvement in officiating in the Premier League to improve fans’ enjoyment of the game and, above all, to protect the sporting integrity of the league, which is often questioned.

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