Liverpool told VAR made mistake in controversial Real Madrid penalty decision

Former Champions League referee Mark Clattenburg claimed that Liverpool's penalty claim against Real Madrid was incorrectly dismissed. The first half was action-packed, but both the Premier League champions and the Spanish giants struggled to find the back of the net.

Arne Slot's side thought that they had the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock when Dominik Szoboszlai's effort from range appeared to be blocked by the arm of Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. Referee Istvan Kovacs initially awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box, before being told to take a look at the VAR monitor.

Once the official was told to take a look at the monitor, expectation built inside Anfield that he would overturn his decision and point to the penalty spot, as Tchouameni appeared to be on the 18-yard line.

He did change his mind, but decided that a handball did not take place at all, infuriating the home crowd and Clattenburg, who thought that a penalty should have been awarded and VAR should have instructed Kovacs to point to the penalty spot.

He said: "It's great when get a second chance to see it. I think the referee, from his angle, thinks it's outside, but from this angle from the side on, which is what the assistant referee has, it looks like the arm is inside the penalty area when the ball hits.

"When that happens, the VAR will recommend a review. I think the referee might change his mind here."

After the decision was confirmed, Clattenburg continued: "What the VAR has done, in his opinion, because the referee has given a handball - and I think it's a handball by the way.

"I agree with the referee's initial decision of handball. Once it's handball, the handball is inside the penalty area. What the referee is now saying is that it's not a handball. He doesn't believe the defender made his body bigger."

Alan Shearer, on Amazon Prime punditry duties with Clattenburg, added: "They really have tied themselves in knots with this handball law, natural, unnatural, proximity. It would have been a lit simpler to say is it a deliberate handball or not."

An official UEFA statement read: "VAR decision: no penalty. The ball touched the left arm of Real Madrid's player No14, which was close to the body in a natural position."

Slot was left infuriated by the decision as the referee's original call of free-kick was reversed, also, and Madrid ended up with the ball from the incident.