Trent Alexander-Arnold handball has become a trending topic after Leeds suffered a 6-1 defeat to Liverpool at Elland Road.
Javi Gracia watched his side go 1-0 down in the 34th minute as Cody Gakpo tapped in at the far post, albeit after a handball by Alexander-Arnold in the buildup.
So, why did the goal stand despite Liverpool‘s No.66 handling the ball? Let’s take a look…
Trent Alexander-Arnold handball
Well, the handball rule seems to change on a weekly basis nowadays – especially since VAR was introduced.
During the lockdown era, handball was usually given in any instance where the ball hit someone’s hand, whether it was deliberate or not.
Now – however – the Premier League are only interested in deliberate handballs during the buildup phase, which is why they ignored Alexander-Arnold‘s offence against Leeds.
You can see that particular rule on the Football Association’s official website.
The England international was not adjudged to have handled the ball on purpose, and the incident happened early enough in the buildup for those in the VAR room to be satisfied that no wrongdoing took place.
That is despite the fact Liverpool’s No.66 appeared to move his arm out towards the ball, with many Leeds fans understandably arguing that it should have been ruled out.
This is where the handball rule puzzles us.
Had the exact same incident happened inside the box, Alexander-Arnold most likely would have conceded a penalty.
It is entirely subjective – determining whether someone has handled the ball intentionally is often difficult to examine.
Leeds and Gracia will surely feel hard done by, and they have every right to be.
Some will argue that it doesn’t change much given the 6-1 scoreline, although this incident put Liverpool 1-0 up and set them on their way to victory, so it was a huge moment.
Hopefully, if Leeds find themselves in a similar situation during the relegation run in, the Premier League stay consistent with their handball rule – if not, there will surely be even more anger coming from Elland Road.
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