Arsenal defender David Luiz has revealed what Mohamed Salah told him about Liverpool's penalty.
The Gunners went in at the break 1-0 down at Anfield, but the hosts were excellent at the beginning of the second half and the turning point came when they were awarded a chance to double the lead from 12 yards.
Roberto Firmino's deft touch into Salah's path dumbfounded Luiz who had instinctively pulled the shirt of his ex-Chelsea teammate.
Salah would emphatically dispatch the spot-kick, but told Luiz afterwards that he didn't feel enough contact to go down.
"Yes, I think it is. You cannot take out from the players, it is just a reflex," Luiz told Arsenal.com in response to being asked if it was a penalty. "When I turned I see that I was taking and so I took off [my hand from Salah's shirt].
"I spoke with Mo and he said 'I didn't feel you touch me, that's why I didn't go down to the floor' but now with the VAR, you cannot see the power so it is difficult for the referees.
"He saw the shirt like that, but I don't know. It's difficult for them so I cannot complain with their efforts because it is difficult for them too. If you play with an extra-large shirt now, there could be a penalty every time.
"It's interpretation, so I think if you pull someone with power and you change his strength to go to the ball, it's different. It was just a reflex but that's it, it made the penalty and after that he gave me the yellow.
"So on the third goal I could not make the foul and put my team in trouble with 10 men. So I think it conditioned my game a bit after that and it was more difficult.
Luiz went into more detail about shirt pulling and that it all depends on the referee as well as VAR's interpretation.
"Yes, but if I pull your shirt like that and if you put your hand like that, it's different, the power is different," he added. "That's what I said.
"In VAR it is difficult for them, they cannot see the power, so if I pull like this [gives demonstration] it's more power than just like this. So it depends on the interpretation, like I said.
"But if you see the shirt going like that it's also difficult for the referee to say it is not a penalty. That's why I don't judge him and complain against him. I'm just saying my view.
"The reflex is in one second you turn, you do and you take out. But it's like that, football is like that. We have to look forward.
"I spoke with Mo, he's my friend and he said he didn't feel that.
"But that's football. Football is like that."
