Premier League Match Centre issue statement after ‘soft’ Liverpool penalty vs Newcastle

Liverpool were awarded a penalty after Lewis Hall fouled Victor Munoz (Image: Getty)

The Premier League Match Centre have issued an explanation after Liverpool were awarded a late penalty in their dramatic draw against Newcastle. Lewis Hall was the guilty party, bringing down Reds substitute Victor Munoz as he raced into the box. It prompted referee Stuart Attwell to point to the spot and Dominik Szoboszlai made no mistake from 12 yards, smashing into the top corner to rescue a draw in the 99th minute.

Shortly after the penalty was scored, the Premier League Match Centre issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) to explain why it was given. They said: “The referee’s call of penalty for the challenge by Hall on Muñoz was checked and confirmed by VAR. REF: ‘He doesn’t play the ball. He makes clear contact’. VAR: ‘It’s knee into thigh contact. Confirming the on-field decision of penalty’.”

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It looked like an obvious penalty on first viewing and from the subsequent replays, but Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle described it as a “soft” decision in his post-match interview.

Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards was convinced that it was a penalty, saying: “Look, a pen is a pen. Lewis Hall is very unlucky and he does catch Víctor Munoz.

“He tries to anticipate where he’s going to go but he’s too late. He catches his knee and it’s a penalty, it’s knee on knee.”