Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty after Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber pulled Alexander Isak’s shirt during their Premier League encounter, according to the league’s Key Match Incidents panel.

The five-member panel reached the conclusion on Wednesday, reviewing the incident from the match played at Anfield on November 1, which Arsenal won 1-0.

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Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue after Timber tugged Isak’s shirt, while video assistant referee Stuart Attwell did not recommend an on-field review.

However, four of the five panellists believed Madley should have awarded a penalty, arguing that the defender’s action amounted to a holding offence.

Three members also felt Attwell should have intervened, describing the referee’s decision as a clear and obvious error.

The incident attracted criticism from football pundits, including Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright, shortly after the match.

Isak did not appeal to the match officials over the shirt-pull, while Kai Havertz’s goal proved decisive for Arsenal.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola had also expressed frustration over the decision after the game, suggesting that players might have to go to ground to attract the attention of referees.

Asked whether Isak should have fallen following the challenge, Iraola said players needed to do so because officials might otherwise fail to award a foul.

“It’s a shame you ask me this question, but honestly, yes, we have to tell them (the players), go down, because they (the officials) are not going to call it otherwise,” he said.

The manager, however, described Isak as an honest player who had tried to continue towards the ball despite the apparent pull.