Premier League Post Statement After Liverpool Are Given Penalty vs Bournemouth

Liverpool took control of their Premier League match against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth on Saturday after Mohamed Salah scored from the penalty spot. Following fan backlash over the decision, the Premier League released a statement addressing the incident in which Lewis Cook appeared not to have made contact with Cody Gakpo.

Heading into the match at the Vitality Stadium, the Reds aimed to extend their unbeaten streak to 19 games. They were given a golden opportunity just under the half-hour mark when Gakpo went down inside the Bournemouth penalty area.

With the score still 0-0, Gakpo was approaching the goal when Cook of Bournemouth was accused of making contact, causing Gakpo to fall. However, upon closer examination, it was revealed that Cook had not touched Gakpo, and instead, Gakpo’s left leg grazed his own right leg.

It appeared that Gakpo tripped himself, but referee Darren England immediately pointed to the penalty spot. His decision was later reviewed and upheld by VAR.

The Premier League later clarified that the VAR review confirmed there was no foul by Cook, but the penalty was still allowed. The Premier League Match Centre, on X (formerly Twitter), stated:

“The referee’s call of penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge deemed to have been a trip by Cook on Gakpo. The VAR also confirmed Gakpo was onside in the build-up.”

Salah, as expected, converted the penalty, marking his 24th goal of the 2024/25 season in all competitions. This gave Slot and his team a clear advantage, scoring within the first 30 minutes of the game.

In response to the decision, fans expressed their outrage on X. One fan commented: “That’s not a penalty ffs. Gakpo trips himself and goes down. If refs are going to give decisions like this in favour of Liverpool, might as well hand them the title straightaway.” Another fan, after reviewing the incident, said: “It’s obviously not a pen but LiVARpool can’t win the league without being gifted by the PL and PGMOL.” A third fan argued that Gakpo, 25, intentionally clipped his own heel to win the penalty.