Ex-Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has shed light on why Kieran Trippier wasn’t punished for handball in the Carabao Cup final clash between Liverpool and Newcastle United. The contentious moment unfolded in the first half as Luis Diaz tussled with Trippier, and the ball inadvertently hit Trippier’s hand.
Liverpool’s team protested vehemently for a penalty, yet referee John Brooks didn’t consider it a foul, with VAR backing his decision. Former Manchester United defender offered his thoughts on Sky Sports, recognizing: “It definitely hit Trippier’s hand, we can see that from up here. In Europe, I think it is probably given as a penalty.”
Neville added that according to VAR, Tripper’s extended arms were for balance and therefore not interfering with Diaz.
Gallagher weighed in on the debate, clearly convinced that the officials on the day got it right during his analysis on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch: “Not handball for me. As regards to Europe, Newcastle knows all about penalties in Europe having been knocked out last year.
“Trippier is running, it’s his running motion. It strikes, no doubt about that. But that’s all it does, it strikes him. If at the end of the game, you can’t remember the incident, that tells the story.”
Stephen Warnock chipped in, downplaying the incident’s significance, saying, “It didn’t really even stick out in my mind that would be even looked at as a potential penalty.”
Despite the decision potentially influencing the game at that point, Newcastle was deserving victors. A late goal from Federico Chiesa wasn’t sufficient to push the match into extra time, following goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak.
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Speaking after the game, Arne Slot said: “Losing two games in a row is something we’ve done probably for the first time, but it probably comes with being in the latter stages of competitions.
“This game went exactly the way they wanted it to, with a lot of fight and a lot of duels. This game had no intensity, so you cannot even judge if we were tired physically. There was nothing to press because they played over our press. The game was slow.
“Players have 15 years to play football and want to win every single trophy they are competing for. That’s also what we want. It’s a game that went just the way they wanted it to go.”
