Premier League explain why they denied Liverpool penalty vs Arsenal

PGMOL have moved to explain why Liverpool didn't get a penalty for handball against Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday. It won't satisfy fans.

Liverpool drew 1-1 with Arsenal on Saturday in the Premier League. The result keeps things tight at the top of the table and also gives the Gunners top spot on Christmas Day.

The Reds, though, will be frustrated. Not only because they missed a glorious opportunity to score a winner in the second half - Trent Alexander-Arnold thundered one off the crossbar when he really should have scored.

But Liverpool also felt there should have been a penalty. Mohamed Salah span with the ball into the box but Martin Odegaard blocked it with his hand - with no real argument that it was in a natural position.

Jurgen Klopp admitted he was confused after the game when asked about the decision.

"Yes I have seen it," Klopp said. "I'm pretty sure someone will come to explain it to me why it was not a handball but I don't know how?"

Well, here's your reason.

Per the Liverpool Echo, the Premier League clarified that it was "not a clear and obvious error as Odegaard's arm is moving towards the body and not the ball as he goes down."

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Now, that is a bizarre excuse. They're right that Odegaard's arm is moving towards his body but that was where the ball was. How you can argue that his arm didn't move towards the ball when it hit the ball is beyond us at the very least.

Odegaard is not in a natural position, nor is he slipping or stumbling in any way. He certainly didn't mean to strike the ball with his arm but he did, it was in the box, and it was very clear.

It's an explanation that manages to ask more questions than there already were.