Liverpool were left frustrated by contentious refereeing decisions during their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield, particularly the alleged shirt pull by Jurrien Timber on Alexander Isak

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher suggested Jurrien Timber was lucky to avoid conceding a penalty for hauling back Alexander Isak, though he fell short of claiming VAR ought to have stepped in during Liverpool's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday. The Reds were left aggrieved by a number of disputed officiating calls.

Isak found himself restrained by Timber while attempting to meet a Bradley Barcola delivery as Liverpool chased an equaliser, while both Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister had penalty claims dismissed. Kai Havertz's 16th-minute goal secured the defending champions' maiden victory at Anfield in 14 years and propelled them above Manchester City to the summit of the table.

Nevertheless, the outcome might have differed had referee Andy Madley or VAR detected Timber's tug on Isak's shirt during the opening period. Speaking on Sky Sports News' Ref Watch, Gallagher explained: "It depends which angle you watch it from. The first angle, you see nothing. That is the referee's angle.

"The second angle, which is what VAR looks at, and it is a lot more damning. VAR looks at it in slow motion, which is another thing against him. In normal speed, he grabs and grabs him quickly but let's go."

"Does he do enough [for a penalty]? What is Timber's intention? He is on the wrong side of him. Does he do enough to stop him? He [Isak] will say yes, as he is close to the ball.

"VAR would be accused of re-refereeing if it is a penalty. It is a case of damned if they do and damned if they don't. It has to be the case of on-field.

"The more I watch it, the more I think he [Timber] has taken a big chance and has got lucky."

Fellow former referee Chris Foy offered an explanation for the incident, which was compared to the decision that saw Lisandro Martinez sent off in Manchester United's defeat at Chelsea.

The defender was shown a second yellow card for a reckless challenge after VAR deemed it necessary to intervene.

“Had the penalty been given on-field, I think the VAR would have checked and confirmed it," he said on talkSPORT.

“We have to understand that the VAR won’t slow it down and look at still images because they would be accused of re-refereeing that incident. That is probably why the VAR didn’t intervene. It does look like a foul in slow motion, but that is not the way VAR is operating.

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“I watched the United game and straight away I thought it was a clear penalty. Nobody will disagree with it. It is a clear use of arm and it is a definite penalty. The Isak one is different.”

Andoni Iraola also acknowledged his players may need to be more astute when facing physical challenges, though he cautioned that dropping to the ground too readily could similarly work against them.

"I think there are two situations and they are a little bit related," the Liverpool head coach said after the match. "I think the Isak one is a clear penalty. He's going to head the ball in front of the goal, and they grab him where everyone sees the shirt."