Diogo Jota accused of handball as Liverpool outplay Arsenal at Anfield

Liverpool displayed their terrific form on Monday to win 3-1 against Arsenal at Anfield in the Premier League. The Reds' performance made it clear that they are here to defend their crown, which they won last season after 30 years.

Jurgen Klopp's tactics worked again and reminded Liverpool fans of their glorious 2019-20 season. The hosts simply outplayed their opponents. But amid all the success, Arsenal fans believe that they should have played against a 10-man side after Sadio Mane was shown a mere yellow card for elbowing Kieran Tierney in the face.

The referee didn't consider it a red-card offence but later footages clearly showed the deliberate nature of the foul. However, VAR didn't intervene and Mane luckily escaped.

More controversy arose as Diogo Jota's goal was claimed to be a handball, which the referee didn't agree upon. Based on replays, according to Give Me Sport, Jota was controlling the ball when it touched the upper portion of his right arm. Some fans even posted the footage on Twitter to criticise VAR's functionality.

Although the game eventually went well for Liverpool, it was Arsenal who took the early lead. In the 25th minute, Alexandre Lacazette's left-footed strike flew over Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker to find the net.

However, it took only nine minutes for the defending champions to flip things around. In the 28th minute, Sadio Mane scored the equaliser for his side. Then, Andrew Robertson's strike in the 34th minute helped the Reds take the lead.

Later, Lacazette got another opportunity to score his second of the night for the Gunners. But Becker saved it easily. Eventually, debutant Jota scored the controversial winner in the 88th minute to wrap up three points for the Reds.

At the end of the match, Klopp said, "I'm completely happy with our performance. We played good football, we were flexible, we mixed it up. I'm really pleased for Diogo Jota. Top, top guy. It's so difficult to improve a team like ours. He's been on my list for two or three years, he's here now."

As a result of the victory, Liverpool is now sitting second behind Leicester City with nine points from three games. Both sides are equal on points, but Leicester City's goal difference is superior to the defending champions. Arsenal, on the other hand, is fifth with six points.