Anthony Taylor 'cost Arsenal' in Liverpool clash as Mike Dean turns on referee counterpart

Ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean has hinted that a ’50:50′ call by Anthony Taylor could have deprived Arsenal of a win against Liverpool, though he insists the official shouldn’t be faulted for it.

The Gunners had carved out a solid stance in the match against their title contenders, leading at half-time courtesy of goals from Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino, which were punctuated by a Virgil van Dijk header.

However, as the match unfolded, injuries began to plague Mikel Arteta’s team. With William Saliba already on suspension and Martin Odegaard among those nursing injuries, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber joined the injury list by the end of the game.

Liverpool managed to level the score late in the second half thanks to Mohamed Salah. As the match neared its conclusion, it appeared the visitors might clinch a victory, but a last-minute rally from the home side saw them apply the most pressure.

Gabriel Jesus believed he had netted the winning goal in the 90th minute, only for his goal to be ruled out because Taylor had already signalled a foul by Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior on Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Polish international had leapt onto the Liverpool midfielder to secure the header that fell to Kai Havertz and VAR was unable to step in as Taylor had already made his decision.

Ex-referee Dean stated on Sky Sports: “It’s more of a soft foul if anything, to be fair he’s just penalised the Arsenal player. It’s probably a 50:50 call, for me. He’s had a good game the referee, so I can’t criticise him for that to be honest with you.”

The home team showed clear frustration, with multiple players confronting Taylor and his assistants following the final whistle, resulting in Jesus being issued a yellow card for his protests.