Liverpool 2-0 Brighton: Ex-Premier League referee agrees with Tim Sherwood after bamboozling VAR decision
Liverpool beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday but the game was not without incident
Liverpool made it five games unbeaten on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 at Anfield in an incident-packed game.
Both goals came from Hugo Ekitike, as the French striker hammered in the opener as he beautiful controlled Joe Gomez’s header and smashed home inside 46 seconds. His second came from a header in the second half as Mohamed Salah provided the assist after coming off the bench in the first half following an injury concern for Gomez.
The game might have turned out very definitely had Brighton’s Diego Gomez put away a chance at the back post earlier the second half for the away. It is a goal that would have infuriated Liverpool as Gomez had been involved in heavy challenge on Florian Wirtz late in the first half.
The Brighton man caught the Reds midfielder high on the midriff but was only booked. It was a decision that ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett was unhappy with.
“The Brighton player had every opportunity to pull out of this foul, and there is no question that the boot was leading at pace, waist-high, and fulfilled, in my opinion, serious foul play,” he said when speaking to Football Insider.
“The yellow card for this challenge was insufficient, and this incident should have seen the intervention of VAR, and a second look for the referee, who may, from his view, have had his vision of the incident compromised by the offending player.”
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood was watching the game on Soccer Saturday and also felt it was a red card.
He said: “I think it’s a red card. I honestly do. Wirtz wins it before him.
“[Gomez is] not even there to go and win the ball. He’s trying to make out he’s tried to win the ball. His foot is in his chest, he’s studded him down, dragging [his boot] down into his abdominal region. For me that is a red card.”
Had Gomez scored, Liverpool may have sought an explanation from the PGMOL as to why the challenge was not upgraded to a red card. The Reds have already been in touch with Howard Webb this season after Virgil van Dijk controversially had a goal ruled out against Manchester City in early November.
Explaining the decision, the Premier League Match Centre said: “The referee’s call of yellow card to Gomez was checked and confirmed by VAR. The challenge on Wirtz [was] deemed not to be with excessive force and not serious foul play.”
Liverpool will be thankful the incident has not become a major talking point, as if Gomez had scored then there could have been a very different result and outlook after the full-time whistle at Anfield.