BREAKING: F!FA President Finally intervene In William Saliba Penalty incident against Brighton, Error made in the VAR review as Referee and officials in action set to face severe Punishment
BREAKING: F!FA President Finally intervene In William Saliba Penalty incident against Brighton, Error made in the VAR review as Referee and officials in action set to face severe Punishment…
Arsenal will begin to dissect what went wrong on the South Coast, as the Gunners drew 1-1 with Brighton.
For the second time this season, the Seagulls held Mikel Arteta’s side to a draw, following on from Brighton’s controversial 1-1 result at the Emirates.
Just like when the two teams met back in August, Arsenal were met with more controversy at the Amex, as William Saliba conceded a penalty.
The Frenchman clashed heads with Brighton striker Joao Pedro, an act that referee Anthony Taylor believed warranted a spot kick.
Gary Lineker in agreement with Mikel Arteta on Brighton penalty incident
Pedro won and converted the penalty, a goal that saw the points shared by the end of a trialling contest for the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta was furious that Brighton were awarded the penalty, stating that he had ‘never seen a decision like this’, an opinion shared by many.
One figure who agreed with Arteta’s comment was Gary Lineker, who mirrored the Arsenal manager’s belief on BBC Match of the Day.
“I’ve watched football for far too long and I’ve never seen a penalty given for a clash of heads, it happens in every corner almost,” said the pundit.
Lineker’s opinion was echoed by fellow panel member Danny Murphy, who shared strong words about Taylor’s decision.
“Players coming together accidentally, going for the ball, I don’t want to see penalties given for that, most people don’t.”
While the two BBC pundits were outraged to see the penalty awarded in such circumstances, not everyone agreed.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler fumed at Arteta’s comments on the penalty, saying that it was a ‘clear penalty’.
“I don’t understand how they can say that… it’s a clear penalty,” he said.
What PGMOL said about Brighton’s penalty
Unfortunately for Arteta, the Premier League agreed with Hurzeler’s claim, as VAR failed to overturn the onfield decision.
On X, the Premier League Match Centre account cleared up why the penalty decision was finalised, in a statement that left many still looking for answers.
“The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on Joao Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty.”
Saliba’s clash of heads with Pedro was costly, seeing the Brazilian score from the spot and Arsenal once again fail to progress in the title race.
