Liverpool coach Anđoni Iraola called the lack of recognition for honesty 'a disgrace' after his team was controversially denied a penalty in the match, which ended in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
The Premier League champions, who are defending title holders, moved to first place in the table, surpassing Liverpool by nine points after their first victory at Anfield in 14 years.
However, Liverpool remained dissatisfied because Alexander Isak was pushed away by Jurrien Timber when he attempted to meet a cross from Bradley Barkol in the middle of the first half. The Swedish forward did not fall, and consequently, neither the referee nor VAR intervened to award a penalty kick.
Timber could have been sent off for refusing an obvious goal-scoring opportunity without attempting to play the ball. Iraola, following his second defeat since taking charge of the Reds, stated: 'I am ashamed when I am asked this question. But frankly, yes, we must tell them to lie down because they won't award it otherwise.'
He added: 'I don't see any reason for that. Just because he didn't dive or lie on the floor. That shouldn't be the reason, but of course, it is a penalty.'
Arsenal took the lead in the match thanks to an early goal from Kai Havertz. Liverpool managed to fight back and, according to Iraola, should have equalized before halftime when Florian Wirtz shot over the crossbar from a free-kick, and Alexis Mac Allister directed a superb chance over the goal.
'We had good chances—we hit the crossbar and had good situations that we couldn't convert. We definitely deserved a goal,' noted Iraola. He also emphasized: 'I liked my players' reaction after we lost 1-0... I liked many moments of the game. We must keep moving forward. The season has just begun. Arsenal is in the best position, but it is only early November.'
The victory could be a huge step towards securing the title for Mikel Arteta's team. The 'Argentines' increased their lead over Manchester City by three points at the top of the table. However, Arsenal dealt a serious blow to one of the most realistic title contenders, as City is expected to suffer a huge drop in points if they do not refute the charge of more than 100 points for breaching Premier League financial rules.
Arteta was pleased with his team's reaction after the humiliating exit from the League Cup against fourth-division side Fleetwood on Tuesday. After the loss to Fleetwood, he said: 'It seems like the end of the world, what are we doing? Then you have to pick yourself up and understand that this is a beautiful part of the game.'
He continued: 'The mission we failed to achieve for 14 years had its reasons. Some of them were psychological problems, some were related to the quality we demonstrated on the field, certain moments or decisions, and we needed to perfect all of it.'
