The Football Association are set to work with a lip reader as part of their investigation into an incident between Gabriel Magalhaes and Jordan Henderson during Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat on Sunday.
The duo clashed late in the second half after Henderson was aggrieved with referee Michael Oliver’s decision to award a penalty when Thiago and Gabriel Jesus came together.
Henderson and Gabriel stood face-to-face, while Bukayo Saka composed himself ahead of taking the spot kick, before being separated by Kostas Tsimikas.
Saka converted his penalty to hand the Gunners a slender win over Jurgen Klopp’s side, who had twice come from behind in north London before falling to defeat.
At this stage of proceedings, it remains unclear what Henderson said to the Brazilian star to cause such a fierce reaction and later led to Xhaka exchanging words with the Liverpool skipper.
But, after Oliver was made aware of the exchange he swiftly cooled down the two teams’ tempers before speaking to Klopp and Arteta on the touchline.
It was also revealed that Oliver spoke to the game’s fourth official Andy Madley, who was seen taking notes of the referee’s timeline of events, which would later be used if the FA decide to pursue an official investigation.
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Gabriel and Henderson could be seen speaking to one another after the full-time and Roberto Firmino was also in attendance.
It is unclear whether the conversation between the duo was held in order to clear the air of any misunderstanding over an exchange of words that had clearly angered the defender.
Klopp didn’t make any comment on the incident in his post-match media duties. Meanwhile, Arteta played down the event in his post-match press conference as he declared “whatever happens on the pitch, stays on the pitch.”
Quickly after both managers had completed their media duties, the FA said they would be looking into the incident, saying in a statement: “We are aware of an incident that took place during the match between Arsenal and Liverpool. We are in dialogue with the match officials and will review the details of the incident.”
Additionally, the Liverpool skipper had been pencilled in for post-match interviews after the match but was later taken off those duties.
On Tuesday, Sky Sports revealed that the FA is reviewing the referee’s report from Sunday’s game and gathering information from Henderson and Gabriel.
Keeping in line with the FA and Professional Game Match Officials Board protocol, Oliver also spoke to both players after the game in what is the first stages of any disciplinary process.
It is likely the governing body will gather eyewitness accounts from those close to the action in order to seek clarity on the matter.
