In the 79th minute at Anfield Road, tempers flared in an already fiercely contested match. Arsenal captain Martin Ödegaard was down on his knees and elbows, apparently hurt. Liverpool's number 10, Alexis Mac Allister, bent close to the Norwegian, said something, then slapped him on the back of the head. Only a generous observer could call it affectionate or encouraging.
Arsenal's players immediately reacted to the provocation against their captain. Right-back Jurrien Timber confronted Mac Allister and, within seconds, players in red and pale yellow crowded around them. Then Noni Madueke confronted Mac Allister, going forehead to forehead with him. The England international made contact with the Argentine, who dropped to the ground as if struck by lightning.
After the confrontation, referee Andrew Madley booked Mac Allister and Timber. Liverpool fans were unhappy that Madueke, who had already been booked, received no card for the alleged headbutt.
What Neville and Carragher said about Mac Allister's theatrics
On Sky Sports, the pundits backed the referee's decision and criticised Mac Allister. Gary Neville saw a "little nudge with the head", but called the Liverpool star's reaction "a bit over the top" and said: "Get up. Embarrassing." The former Manchester United player also criticised the Argentine for starting the commotion by striking Ödegaard: "That was unnecessary."
Liverpool legend and fan Jamie Carragher was blunter. "We really need to crack down and call people out and say: 'That's embarrassing.' It has to stop, it's ridiculous. I can't stand it."
Calling for a concerted approach to "this head-to-head thing", the former centre-back said refereeing chief Howard Webb, the Premier League and managers had a responsibility: "They need to get together and make sure people don't get red cards for this sh*** any more!"
Video assistant referee Stuart Attwell judged Madueke's contact with Mac Allister to be "not violent and not brutal", so he decided against recommending a sending-off for violent conduct by the Arsenal winger.
Getty ImagesA clear wrong decision? Timber holds Isak in the penalty area
Liverpool felt the officials had let them down in more than one incident. In the first half, Madley and his colleagues denied Alexander Isak a penalty when Timber forcefully pulled his shirt in the penalty area. Because of the pull, the Swedish striker narrowly missed a cross with his head and an excellent chance to score.
For former refereeing chief Keith Hackett, it was a clear wrong decision. Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola agreed. He suggested Isak would have been awarded the decision if he had gone down during the incident. "It shouldn't be like that, but that's how it is. Next time, we'll have to tell Alex to go to ground, otherwise the whistle won't go," said the Basque.
Kai Havertz's goal in the 16th minute gave champions Arsenal a 1-0 win and sent them back to the top of the table. Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion are the Londoners' closest challengers. Liverpool dropped behind Chelsea to fifth place after their second defeat of the season.