Andoni Iraola faced off against his former comrade Mikel Arteta as Liverpool struggled to equalize, ultimately suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday. Despite their efforts, Liverpool could not find the back of the net, resulting in a disappointing outcome.

Earlier in the match, a potential turning point arose when Alexander Isak was tugged down during an attempt to header a free kick, leading some to wonder if a penalty could have changed the game’s trajectory.

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MORE — Match recap, highlights | Player ratings | Mikel Arteta reaction

Iraola expressed his frustration regarding his team’s inability to convert their dominance into goals, particularly highlighting the incident involving Isak. He noted that he will advise Isak to go down in similar situations moving forward, declaring it a “problem for the game” that a player does not earn a penalty for staying on their feet.

The defeat positions Liverpool nine points behind the league leaders, limiting their opportunity to close the gap with Arsenal and Manchester City.

How does Andoni Iraola perceive the game?

Andoni Iraola’s Thoughts on the Match Against Arsenal

On the game: “I liked the attitude. Probably our worst part was until we conceded a goal. The reaction to that was very good. We put them under pressure and had some good chances but couldn’t find the equalizer.”

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On finishing chances: “You have to give credit to them. The goal comes when we mess up a goal kick and we still had possession to defend it a lot better. We had 7-8 guys but didn’t defend it properly. The players then gave everything.”

“There were long periods where we pressed really well, really high. When you are losing 1-0 it gives you less merit because they can be on the defensive side. We won a lot of duels against them and I cannot ask more of my players’ willingness to go.”

“We had big chances. We hit the crossbar. We had real good chances. We should finish better. This is easy to see but the reason was the start of the game that put them in a big advantage.”

On the potential penalty: “The Gakpo one was sustained holding but definitely the Alex [Isak] one was a clear one. They hold the tee shirt and he’s going to head the ball in but he doesn’t go to the ground.”

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On whether Isak should have gone down: “That’s the problem we have in the game because he doesn’t dive — the fact that you are asking if he should go to the floor. It is what it is. I should tell Alex next time he has to go to the floor.”

Will you give him that advice? “Yes definitely.”