Mark Clattenburg and Jamie Carragher disagree on Marcos Senesi handball in Liverpool v Bournemouth

Marcos Senesi and Hugo Ekitike were involved in a very controversial incident in the first half of Liverpool against Bournemouth in the Premier League, which Mark Clattenburg and Jamie Carragher have had their say on.

In the 13th minute of the Premier League opener, Mohamed Salah tried to knock the ball down to Liverpool’s new signing Hugo Ekitike, with Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi in the way.

The Argentine initially intercepted with his knee, but a closer angle showed a very dubious hand extending towards the ball from the Cherries’ centre-back.

Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

The referee did not award anything in what could have been a potential red card decision. Was Anthony Taylor and his VAR team correct?

Exclusive: Mark Clattenburg on Marcos Senesi’s handball incident in Liverpool vs Bournemouth

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg exclusively tells TBR Football that Taylor was correct in his decision.

Clattenburg says: “This decision of the referee, Anthony Taylor, not to penalise Marcos Senesi for handball is a correct call.

“Senesi plays the ball with his leg and rebounds onto his arm, and under the laws of the game was correctly judged as an action of playing the ball onto his arm.

“This law was changed a couple of years ago when a player plays the ball onto his arm by foot or a part of his body, which I fully agree with.

“Also, we accepted last season, the Premier League referees have less tolerance than referees across Europe on handball, so I was not surprised that a handball was not given.”

Mark then went on to express that it’s difficult to judge an incident in “slow motion” as opposed to real time.

He continues: “Looking at the handball in more detail. I still stand by that the action of playing the ball, but he does make another movement of the hand, which makes a small touch of the ball with the fingers, which is only seen a slow motion.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

“I don’t like football to be refereed in slow motion, and there is another argument that the attacker does not have control of the ball and is some distance from the goal, which comes into all the factors of the referees will dismiss a player for denying a goal scoring opportunity.”

Jamie Carragher disagrees with Mark Clattenburg

Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports co-commentator Jamie Carragher didn’t exactly agree with Clattenburg.

“The defender handled the ball,” said Carragher on Sky Sports commentary, unconvinced with Taylor’s decision.

“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.

Ekitike scored a goal in the first half to give the Reds the lead, so they won’t be too worried, but the game isn’t out of sight.

More to follow in Liverpool vs Bournemouth, right here on TBR Football.

Click here to read article