According to a report by Football London on Monday, 2 November 2026, The incident presented a difficult decision for the VAR officials, according to Dermot Gallagher, a former referee in the Premier League. Gallagher acknowledged that intervening could have led to accusations of "re-refereeing" the match.

The 16th-minute goal by Kai Havertz gave Mikel Arteta's team a 1-0 win, but the focus was on Liverpool's penalty appeal following the incident where Isak was fouled while trying to reach a cross inside Arsenal's penalty area.

Play was greenlit by referee Andy Madley, and VAR official Stuart Attwell ruled that there wasn't enough evidence to reverse the initial decision.

The incident was difficult to evaluate due to the multiple camera angles, according to Gallagher, who did admit that Timber had taken a big risk.

Depending on your vantage point, it could be different. In the first view, there is nothing visible. According to him, that was the referee's perspective.

"The other side, the one that video analysis reviews, and it's far more damning."

Plus, if it's a penalty, VAR would be criticized for re-referring the match, he said. Who cares if they do or don't? They're stuck in the middle.

"The more I watch it, the more I think he [Timber] has taken a big chance and has got lucky," Gallagher said, acknowledging that Timber was lucky to avoid punishment.

Ian Wright, a former Arsenal forward and one of several football commentators who disagreed with the decision, said that Isak shouldn't have had to go to ground level to persuade the referees.

It's clear that he has removed his shirt. For what reason must he dive? What Wright meant was that he shouldn't have to produce more of it.

One of the league's top goal scorers was unable to get to the ball because of the shirt pull, according to Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender who also criticized the decision.

In a similar vein, Tim Sherwood maintained that VAR ought to have suggested a review that took place on the field.

The separate penalty appeals from Cody Gakpo and Christos Tzolis were also rejected by Gallagher, who cited the forward's inability to reach the ball as the reason.

With Arsenal maintaining their lead in the Premier League standings and the controversy continuing to spark debate over the consistency of VAR, the game went ahead as scheduled.