Arne Slot and his Liverpool side were left aggrieved after a handball went unpunished which could have landed Marcos Senesi in trouble
21:03, 15 Aug 2025Updated 21:16, 15 Aug 2025
Marcos Senesi handled the ball during Liverpool’s clash with Bournemouth(Image: Paul Currie/Shutterstock)
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher criticised the Video Assistant Referee as he was left bemused by a handball decision during the game against AFC Bournemouth. Referee Anthony Taylor failed to spot a handball with from Marcos Senesi with Hugo Ekitike challenging to run through on goal before the incident was brought back.
As the Frenchman chased down the Bournemouth defender, Senesi took a loose touch before taking a swipe with his right hand to divert the ball away from Ekitike. If the action had not of happened, the Liverpool summer signing had a clear run on goal.
However, the VAR claimed that the ball came off the defender’s leg before hitting his hand in an act that wasn’t deliberate and therefore not an infringement.
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Bournemouth were awarded a free-kick as Alexis Mac Allister handled the ball himself, seemingly in the belief that Liverpool had won a free-kick just inside the opponents half.
Speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage as part of its commentary team, Carragher was left aghast by the decision and criticised Michael Oliver on VAR for supplying the wrong information to the on-field official.
He said: “Ekitike was adamant that the defender handled the ball… oh, that’s handball.
“I mean, he knows exactly what he is doing. is is just a reaction as a defender but that is handball.
“We can hear what the VAR is saying, is almost like it’s come off his leg and hit his hand and it’s the second movement – it’s not. He realises he has a problem and puts his hand toward the ball.
“How the VAR can say that… I say this a lot in games: I don’t like people sent off, I really think a last resort for any official.
“There’s plenty of time, he realises there’s a problem and throws a hand at it. The information that the referee got was not correct.”
Carragher wasn’t the only one who was under the illusion that the Cherries survived an almighty scare.
Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer didn’t mince his words as he highlighted the blunder. He said: “And we’re off.
“That’s a clear handball, man.”
Speaking during the half-time analysis on Sky Sports, Carragher offered his thoughts once more with fellow pundit Gary Neville having his say.
“What I heard was basically it was a double-hit almost,” Carragher said. “I am expecting, when the replay comes in, that I am going to see the ball hit the defender’s thigh and then straight onto his arm and that did not happen.
“They got to the decision far too quickly. The VAR was telling the refereee as the reply was coming in to me. It was too quick how they got to the decision.
“Whether it was too far away from the goal, maybe there is an argument in that. “There is no doubt they changed what initially they said on the VAR which I heard, which was that it was basically a double hit.
“But as you can see from the replay it was a blatant handball.”
“That’s subjective whether you think Ekitike would have gone through and scored,” Neville added.
“Who would have caught him? So I think it was a goalscoring opportunity. I didn’t want to see someone get sent off. It does feel like what Carra’s heard, to be fair, means that they have changed their mind.”
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