David Luiz was brought into the Arsenal squad this summer to make them better, and while he might do that in time, he was back to his old tricks again at Anfield as he blatantly tugged back Mo Salah inside the penalty area.
Referee Anthony Taylor was in a good position to spot the infringement and had no choice but to point to the spot despite Salah staying on his feet.
Speaking after the match about the incident, which led to Salah doubling the Reds’ lead from the spot (watch the goal again by clicking here), Luiz gave a very strange response.
He admitted that it was a penalty kick – not there could be much doubt about that – but then went on to say that he disagreed with Taylor’s decision and felt hard done by.
According to Arsenal’s official website, he said: “Yes, I think [it was a penalty].”
That seems simple enough, but he then changed his mind just a couple of sentences later.
He added soon afterwards: “I don’t know. It’s difficult for [referees] so I cannot complain. If you play with an extra-large shirt now, there could be a penalty every time. It’s interpretation, so I think if you pull someone with power and you change his strength to go to the ball, it’s different.
“I spoke with Mo and he said ‘I didn’t feel you touch me, that’s why I didn’t go down to the floor’ but now with the VAR, you cannot see the power so it is difficult for the referees.”
Everyone watching the game, at least on the replay, could see that Luiz was rash and at fault, even if he seems unsure. That much of a contradiction on a pretty straightforward decision is laughable.
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The Reds were excellent this evening, and Luiz and co simply could not cope at times. You could say that his post-match comments were as random and all over the place as his defending.