Why Pascal Gross was not sent off in Brighton vs Liverpool draw despite VAR check

Pascal Gross was not sent off for Brighton against Liverpool because it was felt that Dominik Szobozali was not moving towards goal.

The Reds earned a 2-2 draw against the Seagulls as the AMEX Stadium, with Mo Salah bagging a double. But the game could have been so different had Brighton been reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half-time when the game was locked at 1-1.

Szoboszlai won possession deep in enemy territory and was subsequently dragged down inside the Brighton box by Gross. A penalty was awarded, with Salah subsequently slotting home, although Gross escaped a booking. International Football Association Board laws state that 'where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offender is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.), the offending player must be sent off'.

LiverpoolWorld understands that VAR checked the incident. However, it was felt that Szoboszlai was not in a goalscoring opportunity and would have had to gain possession of the ball.