A former PGMOL chief (Dermot Gallagher ) felt there was insufficient evidence to award a penalty, agreeing that the referee’s decision to play on was reasonable. �

I searched for Dermot Gallagher’s comments specifically on the Jeremie Frimpong penalty controversy fromArsenal vs Liverpool yesterday (8 Jan 2026) and here’s the current picture:

🔍 Was Gallagher reported to have spoken on the Frimpong incident

Frimpong went down in the Arsenal box after a challenge, but no penalty was given by referee Anthony Taylor. �

The Guardian

The referee and VAR did not stop play or award a spot-kick, and the game continued into a 0–0 draw. �

📌 What did we find about ex-official opinions?

A former PGMOL chief (Keith Hackett) felt there was insufficient evidence to award a penalty, agreeing that the referee’s decision to play on was reasonable. �

Football Insider

🧠 About Dermot Gallagher and penalty analyses in general

In other recent matches, Gallagher has discussed penalties on Sky Sports’ “Ref Watch”, often focusing on whether VAR intervention was clear and obvious or whether the referee correctly applied law regarding touching the ball vs foul contact. �

Sky Sports

However, no current reliable source shows Gallagher commenting on the Frimpong incident specifically.

⚠️ Twitter/Unofficial mentions

There are some unverified social posts claiming he might have commented (e.g., that it “should have been a penalty” or phrasing like “It’s irrelevant after the game…”), but these aren’t from credible news outlets or confirmed quotes at this time. �

Threads

If you want, I can check again later once analysis shows up from Sky Sports or another primary broadcaster with official quotes from Dermot Gallagher on that exact Frimpong penalty call.

Analyse the numbers behind Liverpool’s goalless stalemate away against Arsenal in the Premier League.

The Reds took a point from their trip to Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening, extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches in the process too.

Explore statistics from the encounter via the Opta tools below.

Match Stats

Arsenal 0 0 Liverpool

English Premier League

08/01/26

GeneralDistributionAttack

Possession

47.6% 47.6%52.4% 52.4%

Duels success rate

48.5% 48.5%51.5% 51.5%

Aerial duels won

54.5% 54.5%45.5% 45.5%

Interceptions

7 78 8

Offsides

2 21 1

Corners won

3 30 0

Average Positions

Arsenal 0 0 Liverpool

HT 0-0

English Premier League

08/01/26

Venue

Emirates Stadium

Attendance

60,258

Referee

Anthony Taylor

Referee Anthony Taylor was in a good position to judge the challenge on Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong inside Arsenal’s penalty area.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that there was “insufficient evidence” to award a spot-kick at the Emirates on Thursday, 8 January.

With Mohamed Salah away with Egypt on international duty, Frimpong has been trusted in the right-wing position, and he caused issues for the Gunners’ back line on the counter-attack.

In the 35th minute, Mikel Arteta‘s side played on while the 25-year-old went down holding his ankle, with Liverpool fans crying out for a penalty against Piero Hincapie, but calls fell upon deaf ears.

Hackett has criticised Taylor previously in the season, but the referee was applauded for his actions on this occasion, much to the frustration of travelling fans.

Anthony Taylor spot-on to deny Jeremie Frimpong penalty shout

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “Referee Anthony Taylor is in a good position, and there is insufficient evidence that there is contact. Therefore, play was allowed to continue.

“VAR, at this point, is in a position to look at various camera angles to seek and determine if the referee has made a clear and obvious error. There was no request for the referee to visit the pitch-side monitor.

In real time, there appeared to barely be a touch on the player, but upon watching the replays, there did appear to be a slight tangle of ankles, but unlikely to be enough for a penalty.

Liverpool could have been awarded a penalty in the second half

After picking up the first caution of the game, Leandro Trossard was involved once again, almost giving away a spot-kick just three minutes into the second half.

Bundling Florian Wirtz over in the box, Gary Neville blasted the player’s “clumsy” challenge, labelling it a “risk,” but after a VAR check, the Gunners got away with another controversial incident.

There were several controversial incidents during the game, but this was likely the most dangerous, with Trossard already walking a tightrope, having picked up his yellow card in the 12th minute.

While a VAR check ruled that the referee got the right decision, many will be in disagreement, and those arguments are bound to continue well beyond the final whistle.