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Former PGMOL chief slams Anthony Taylor for ‘unacceptable’ mistake during Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool

Posted on by Bobb
Former PGMOL chief slams Anthony Taylor for ‘unacceptable’ mistake during Arsenal’s draw with Liverpool

Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the Emirates brought drama to north London.

Bukayo Saka came back brilliantly when the winger gave the ball away. Mikel Arteta took the lead after just nine minutes.

The Englishman’s goal was answered by Virgil van Dijk and the scenario played out as Mohamed Salah later canceled out Mikel Merino’s opener. Arsenal target.

The equal 90 minutes ended in a draw, a disappointing result for the Gunners as the point was made harder to swallow due to questions over Anthony Taylor’s performance.

Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus was shown a red card when Arsenal players surrounded referee Anthony Taylor during a Premier League match between...
Photo by Mark Atkins/Getty Images

Keith Hackett shares Anthony Taylor’s verdict after the Arsenal-Liverpool match

Taylor took charge of the fight at the top of the card and made headlines for several reasons.

The most notable example was his decision to fine Jakub Kivior for a foul caught in the build-up to what would have been Arsenal’s match-winning goal in stoppage time.

Mike Dean reacted to Kivior’s foul by questioning Taylor’s actions, deeming the call “50-50” in the smoldering embers of the contest.

The late drama wasn’t the only questionable referee action on the night, with former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett making his views on the first-half incident clear.

Van Dijk got into an altercation with Kai Havertz early in the match, with the centre-back hitting the Arsenal striker twice.

Taylor awarded Arsenal a free kick but decided not to book the Dutchman, something Hackett strongly disagreed with.

“This kind of behavior on the field is unacceptable and must be punished,” Hackett said on X after the draw.

One point is not enough for Arsenal

Tensions rose over Van Dijk’s early efforts as the defender scored for Liverpool late in the half.

Perhaps things would have been different if Taylor had rooted out the 33-year-old’s inappropriate behavior; however, the fact remains that Arsenal should have been good enough to win anyway.

Arsenal took the lead twice in the game but failed to get over the line, which could prove costly in their pursuit of silverware.

PGMOL has been the subject of a number of Arteta’s team’s results this season, although if the Gunners had won such games the talk would have been much quieter.

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