Virgil van Dijk seemed taken aback by referee Chris Kavanagh’s performance during the high-stakes encounter between title contenders Liverpool and Arsenal, resulting in an intense draw.
During Liverpool’s hard-fought draw with Arsenal, Virgil van Dijk appeared to inquire of referee Chris Kavanagh whether he had been drinking. The Liverpool captain’s question came amidst the tightly contested match, where Liverpool recovered from a goal down but fell short of securing all three points despite a strong comeback. An instance captured in online footage shows Van Dijk seemingly mimicking holding a glass while querying Kavanagh about his sobriety. Van Dijk might have been fortunate to escape repercussions had Kavanagh heard his comments and if they were indeed what they seemed.
However, Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, expressed bewilderment at the decision-making process. He believed that his team should have been awarded a penalty, as they remain just one point behind Arsenal at the summit of the table.
Klopp emphasized, “The penalty situation is a weird situation, I don’t know if the ref can see it, but you look at it and I’m not sure how you can say it’s not a penalty.” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher concurred with Klopp, asserting that Odegaard was fortunate to evade a penalty call.
On the contrary, pundit Gary Neville expressed support for the decision to dismiss the penalty claims. He suggested that Odegaard’s slip might have influenced the non-call, indicating that the slip’s effect caused his arm to move involuntarily in an attempt to regain balance.