Iraola orders Liverpool stars to go down after Isak denied 'clear penalty'

Andoni Iraola admitted he will order his players to go down in future after Liverpool were left furious over a penalty bust-up.

Liverpool boss Iraola insisted his team were denied a clear penalty after TV pictures showed Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber pulled Alexander Isak’s shirt. Referee Andy Madley waved away Liverpool’s appeals while it also survived a VAR check as Kai Havertz fired leaders Arsenal to their first win at Anfield in 14 years.

But Iraola fumed: “The Isak one is a clear penalty, they grab him, everyone see the shirt and probably because he doesn’t dive.”

Sky pundit Daniel Sturridge said “if Isak makes more of it then it’s a penalty” and Iraola admitted he will now tell his players to go down from now on.

FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE! Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

Iraola added: “It is a shame you ask me this question but honestly, yes, if you don’t go down but I think Alex is honest, everyone can see straight away it is a clear pull. I can say what I think about the situation but we have to say what it is, it is a pen and look at things we have to improve.

“I think we have to wait now 10 days or 12 until (Pro Ref) give the solution but it is not going to change anything. It was a clear penalty for us.”

It is understood that the penalty was not given after a VAR check as the officials felt it was a small hold which was not deemed as having a game-changing impact.

Make sure you don't miss the best Liverpool coverage by making the Daily Mirror one of your Google preferred sources.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk could also be seen confronting Noni Madueke who, despite already being booked, pushed his head into Alexis Mac Allister’s forehead. Mac Allister went down in spectacular fashion despite barely being touched.

Van Dijk says it will take time for Iraola to really make his mark. Van Dijk said: “When someone new comes in the building and everything changes, it just needs time. I'm pretty sure things will click and things will work out.”

Arsenal did not allow Liverpool a single shot on target at Anfield - despite heavy pressure - which is a first in Premier League history.

Gunners boss Arteta added: “I didn't know about that stuff, but that's incredible. It didn't feel like this, to be fair, on the pitch, because there were very little margins sometimes when they had the opportunity to shoot.

“Just loving the mission. And the mission was something that we didn't accomplish in 14 years. And there were reasons for that. Some of them were psychological problems. Some of them were related to the quality that we showed on the pitch, certain moments or decisions.

“And we knew that we need to nail absolutely all of them. And we're going to have to navigate through periods that we're going to have to suffer because they are extremely good at doing that and creating those vertical attacks, those chaos moments for almost nothing.

“And you really need to enjoy that. If you don't, there will be a moment they will switch up and they will punish you. And yeah, I think the way we competed and played and the chances that we generated as well, it was really impressive. So I'm really happy."

Join our LFC WhatsApp community and get all the latest LFC news, views, transfer gossip and more, as it happens We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.