Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler has defended the controversial penalty awarded to his team during their 1-1 draw with Arsenal. The Gunners had taken the lead and were largely in control of the game, but a contentious refereeing decision changed the momentum, allowing Brighton to equalise.
The incident occurred when William Saliba came together with Joao Pedro in the box. The referee deemed that Saliba had fouled Pedro, awarding Brighton a penalty. Many Arsenal supporters and pundits were left outraged by the decision, calling it one of the softest penalties they had ever witnessed. The controversy has reignited debates about the consistency of VAR and refereeing decisions in the Premier League.
Despite the backlash, Hürzeler firmly defended the referee’s decision and explained his perspective to BBC Live. “It was a clear penalty,” he stated. “It is head to head but if it is another piece of the body everybody would say it was a penalty. Joao Pedro places the ball with his head and Saliba comes too late, therefore it was a clear one.” His comments underline Brighton’s belief that the call was correct, even as the incident continues to divide opinion.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will feel aggrieved that the decision cost them what could have been three vital points. While the Gunners had opportunities to extend their lead, their failure to capitalise proved costly. This result also adds to a growing list of frustrations regarding VAR decisions that have gone against them this season, leaving fans questioning the system’s fairness and consistency.
Ultimately, while the penalty call will be debated for some time, Arsenal must look ahead. The team had opportunities to put the game out of reach but failed to convert their chances. As frustrating as the decision was, they must regroup and focus on delivering a stronger performance in their next match. As the season progresses, their ability to bounce back from such setbacks will be key in determining their success. Moving forward, the focus must remain on winning matches and ensuring they remain in contention at the top of the table.
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“It was a clear penalty”
He would say that wouldn’t he!!!
I thought it was soft as Saliba missed his header and caught Pedro who collapsed as though he’d been shot.
But, an accidental foul is still a foul.
Let’s be honest, penalty or not, we did not deserve to win what was to me, a very disappointing match.
go look again. Saliba clears the ball. Yet another VAR against us. After Pedro heads it the ball glances off the top of Saliba’s head a clear change in direction of the ball yet once again against us VAR missed it. Robbed
Saliba didn’t head Pedro?
Correction. I’ve re-watched and it did strike Saliba on the top of his head prior to him heading Pedro, so no foul.
Saliba didn’t clear the ball, it glanced off him – he missed the ball and headed into Pedro. Unintentional, but clear foul imo.
All the Match of the Day pundits agreed that it should NOT have been a penalty because Saliba headed the ball first.
Once the northern referee had given a penalty, the VAR mob conveniently chose not to bother reviewing it.
When I say “first”, I mean before he made contact with Pedro (NOT before Pedro headed the ball).
The sequence looked to be:
Both challenged for the ball.
It first glanced off of Pedro onto Saliba, who continued with his header attempt and caught Pedro.
So just a clash of heads.
Now that it’s been established that Saliba actually touched the ball with his head, will the smug and arrogant Hurzeler accept that he may have been mistaken?Was Saliba booked for his “violent” indiscretion?
Did you note how rapidly VAR cleared Taylor’s decision? It was almost instantaneous.
It seemed like a fair challenge for the ball and should’ve been a drop ball. Why refs dont do this more often and think they have to make a pen call I dont know. VAR not even telling Taylor to have a look also absurd. This call is no excuse for the overall lackluster performances all season however.