'Of course it was a penalty!' - William Saliba admits Arsenal were lucky to escape punishment for Martin Odegaard handball in Liverpool draw

Saliba was questioned about the decision not to award Liverpool a penalty in the first-half. The Frenchman conceded that his side were lucky that the referee ruled in their favour and the hosts were not given a penalty. Martin Odegaard appeared to lose his footing and, in doing so, moved his arm in the direction of the ball and handled it. A VAR check decided there was no clear and obvious error from the on-field referee, Chris Kavanagh, to not award a penalty.

Speaking after the game, Saliba was questioned on if he believed it was a penalty. He laughed and said: "Yes, of course. Of course, it was a penalty. But, I'm not the referee and we have to accept [the decision]."

Odegaard can count himself lucky to not have been penalised for what was almost a costly slip. The Arsenal captain will be even more thankful that he has Saliba in his side after the Frenchman put in a man of the match performance at Anfield. The centre half pairing of Saliba and Arsenal's goalscorer, Gabriel, proved immense at resisting the Liverpool pressure and helped keep Arsenal top of the league.

The Gunners are once again top of the league for Christmas. Last year the Gunners capitulated in the new year following Saliba's injury and ensuring the Frenchman does not suffer any more injuries will be crucial for the run-in. Arsenal host West Ham on Thursday night in their penultimate game of 2023.