“I won’t name any names, but they thought exactly the same” – Liam Cooper claims Arsenal players admitted Leeds penalty should have stood after controversial VAR call

Leeds United defender Liam Cooper has revealed that even some of the Arsenal players admitted that the Peacocks were denied a clear penalty during their 1-0 loss in the Premier League on Sunday (October 16).

Despite a resilient display from the home team, the Gunners finally found a way to break the deadlock as they went ahead via a Bukayo Saka strike in the 35th minute.

The Peacocks got the opportunity to draw level 19 minutes after the restart as they were awarded a penalty after William Saliba handled the ball in the box. However, the hosts failed to take advantage of the opportunity as Patrick Bamford's effort went wide.

The controversial moment of the game came in injury time in the second half when referee Chris Kavanagh awarded Leeds United a penalty kick and sent Gabriel off for kicking out at Bamford. The referee eventually reversed the decision after a VAR check revealed that the striker first pushed the Arsenal defender to the ground.

A number of people are of the opinion that the penalty kick should've stood, including Leeds center-back Liam Cooper, who has now claimed that even some Arsenal players felt the same. Cooper said after the game, as quoted by HITC:

“He (the referee) said that Gabriel has been pushed before. But I still don’t think it affects the kicking out, he knows what he is doing. Speaking to their players as well, I won’t name any names but they thought exactly the same. That’s what it is and it’s tough for us."

With the decision overturned, Arsenal managed to end the game with a narrow 1-0 win. Mikel Arteta's became the first side to beat the Peacocks on home turf in the Premier League this season.

Arsenal maintain top spot after beating Leeds United

A hard-fought victory for the Gunners.

Thanks to a hard-fought victory yesterday, the Gunners managed to keep their title march going forward. Arteta's men continue to lead the table with 27 points after winning nine and losing just one of their 10 games in the English top flight so far this season.

Elsewhere, Manchester City suffered a 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield which led to the Cityzens falling two points behind the Gunners.