Andoni Iraola was left seething after Liverpool were denied a penalty in their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, delivering a furious message to referees and promising to change the way he coaches his players.With Liverpool trailing after Kai Havertz's opener, Alexander Isak had his shirt pulled by Jurrien Timber as he attempted to attack Bradley Barcola's cross. The striker stayed on his feet, but referee Andy Madley waved play on, with VAR official Stuart Attwell deciding there was not enough contact to overturn the decision.How is this not a penalty??? Timber clearly pulls Isak’s shirt this is a disgrace PGMOL CHEATS AGAIN https://t.co/IC7ugkI1kP— Danis (@DanisMCFC) November 1, 2026 Iraola was having none of it."There is a clear grab of the shirt. Alex was just in front of him and was going to head the ball in front of goal, but he couldn't because his shirt was being pulled," the Spaniard told Match of the Day."If he goes to the floor, they call the penalty 100%. It should be like this, but it is what it is. Next time, the managers should tell Alex to go to the floor. Otherwise, they won't call it."Asked what his players should do differently in future, Iraola was even more blunt: "The answer is you have to dive. If you don't dive, they won't call it."##NAJAVA_MECA_10075968##And he was not backing down when the subject came up again at his press conference."It's a shame you ask me this question, but honestly, yes, we have to tell them: go down, because they're not going to call it otherwise. And then referees complain about why players go down. Because if you don't go down, they don't give it. Then it's, 'No, you're always going down'," he said.The Liverpool boss insisted Isak had done nothing wrong, arguing that the striker had simply tried to play the ball rather than look for a penalty."I think Alex is honest. He tries to go for the ball. Everyone can see straight away, even live, that there is a clear, clear pull."Arsenal conquer Anfied after 14 yearsThe understanding was that the contact was considered too slight to constitute a sustained holding offence. Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann, however, felt Timber had taken a considerable risk."Timber takes a huge risk by grabbing the shirt. It could easily have been given on another day," Cann told BBC Sport, adding that the incident was right on the borderline.Iraola also admitted that even an apology from Pro Ref, the Premier League's refereeing body, would change nothing.Liverpool had another penalty appeal rejected when Cody Gakpo went down under pressure from Christos Tzolis, but it was the incident involving Isak that truly set the Spaniard off.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 9SaturdayChelsea – Manchester United 2-0 (0-0)/Rogers 50, Palmer 64 pen/Bournemouth – Leeds 2-0 (1-0)/Evanilson 31, Adli 90+4/Brentford – Nottingham Forest 2-0 (1-0)/Milenkovic 30 og , Thiago 76/Coventry – Sunderland 3-1 (2-0)/Sakamoto 17, Awoniyi 37, Rudoni 52 – Le Fee 67 pen/Hull City – Ipswich 2-2 (0-1)/Iroegbunam 58, McBurnie 68 – Luis 22, Enciso 74/Manchester City – Brighton 0-1 (0-1)/Ayari 11/Tottenham – Crystal Palace 2-0 (1-0)/Gray 25, Van Hecke 73/Aston Villa – Fulham 1-1 (1-0)/Jackson 39 – Suzuki 64 og/SundayLiverpool – Arsenal 0-1 (0-1)/Havertz 16/Monday23.00: (2.35) Newcastle (3.60) Everton (2.85)***odds are subject to change***
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