Keith Hackett Explains Why Liverpool Were Denied a Penalty in Brentford Defeat
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has weighed in on Liverpool’s controversial penalty appeal during their 3–2 defeat to Brentford, explaining why Cody Gakpo’s first-half fall in the box did not result in a spot-kick.
Liverpool arrived at the Gtech Community Stadium desperate to end their losing streak but instead suffered a fourth straight Premier League defeat. Dango Ouattara opened the scoring within five minutes, before Kevin Schade doubled Brentford’s lead. Milos Kerkez pulled one back before the break, but Igor Thiago’s penalty restored the hosts’ two-goal advantage. Mohamed Salah netted late on, yet it wasn’t enough to rescue a result.
The key moment came in the first half when Gakpo appeared to be tripped by Nathan Collins inside the penalty area with Liverpool trailing 2–0. Referee Simon Hooper waved away the appeals, and VAR upheld his decision, explaining:
“The referee’s call of no penalty to Liverpool was checked and confirmed — it was deemed there was no foul by Collins on Gakpo.”
The incident frustrated Liverpool fans even more after Brentford were later awarded a penalty for a challenge by Virgil van Dijk on Ouattara.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett backed the officials’ decision:
“Referee Simon Hooper was in an excellent position to judge if there was any contact worthy of a penalty.
Frankly, there was no clear evidence of contact, and without that, VAR was correct not to intervene.
When referees are close to the action, their decisions carry more credibility. Without clear proof of contact, a penalty should not be given.”
Liverpool will now look to respond in their Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace in midweek before returning to Premier League action at Anfield against Aston Villa on November 1.
