As a former professional referee, our work is tarnished by this. I simply cannot concur with this. There seems to be a conspiracy at work here. I’m Not Sure If They’re Seeking To Advantage Arsenal Or Even Manchester City.– After Liverpool’s penalty was not awarded, Mark Clattenburg disagrees with fellow referee Mike Dean and criticizes VAR.

In their 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Saturday, Liverpool should have received a penalty kick, according to former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg.

Alexis Mac Allister’s fall inside the box in the 98th minute infuriated Liverpool. Jeremy Doku appeared to strike the Argentine in the chest as he made contact with the ball and then crashed into Mac Allister as the Reds midfielder went down clutching his upper body.

Referee Michael Oliver denied the appeals, and Stuart Atwell, a VAR official, declined to reverse the outcome for what might have been considered an egregious mistake.

Michael Dean offered perspective on why the refereeing team might have determined it wasn’t a penalty, but Jurgen Klopp feels Liverpool were wrongfully denied a penalty.

“I think Doku touched the ball, but in the follow-through, he caught him straight in the chest,” Dean clarified to Sky Sports. It might be a penalty, in my opinion.

The VAR made an important decision. The follow-through made contact with him on the ribcage, but there was only a slight touch on the ball.
“If Stuart directed him to the screen, I wouldn’t be shocked. The check is finished. played the ball first and followed through in a manner consistent with, I assume, a normal coming together. I think that’s really, really fortunate for him, Doku.

Clattenburg has now offered his viewpoint. He recently started working as a consultant for referees at Nottingham Forest.

The 48-year-old has blasted VAR and the referees for failing to spot the mistake, maintaining that Liverpool were unlucky not to have been given a penalty.

“Liverpool should have won a stoppage-time penalty against Manchester City, but this highlights the issue in the Premier League currently – referees are making errors during matches, and they are not receiving adequate support from their VAR counterparts,” Clattenburg wrote in his Daily Mail column.

“If this had happened outside the penalty area, there’s no doubt that it would have been a free-kick, no matter what.” he said. It’s not a fair challenge just because it’s inside a box, especially since Mac Allister might wake up on Monday morning with bruises on his chest.

“The incident in the 98th minute warranted a penalty, regardless of the significance of the match.”

Clattenburg also voiced his displeasure at Stuart Atwell, the VAR official, for not stepping in. Atwell did not suggest that referee Oliver examine the incident on the pitch-side monitor, even though he decided not to award the penalty.

“This is where the frustration lies,” he said, “because we’ve seen similar situations this weekend where the Stockley Park officials should have warned their colleagues on the field that they might have given a red card or missed a penalty, but they didn’t.”