Another disputed decision was made against Liverpool. Brighton’s draw
The Premier League encounter between Brighton and Liverpool ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw this afternoon at the Amex, with both teams believing they should have won all three points.
Considering that this matchup included two of the strongest attacking teams in the English top division, it was always going to be a thrilling one. Additionally, this tandem has at times this season appeared fairly shaky at the back.
As it turned out, all four goals were the result of defensive mistakes.
After controlling the ball in the final third, Brighton took the lead thanks to a goal from Simon Adingra, who took advantage of Alisson’s mistake.
In a similar situation, Brighton lost the ball in a risky area in the 40th minute, and Mohamed Salah finished superbly to bring Liverpool back to even.
However, the sequence leading up to the Egyptian’s second goal has generated some discussion.
Liverpool loses a crucial decision in the tie with Brighton.
Just before halftime, Mohamed Salah’s penalty kick goal gave Liverpool the lead in the game.
Pascal Gross pulled down Dominik Szboszlai by the collar just as the Hungarian appeared to be on the verge of scoring, which led to the foul in the penalty area. Although the Brighton man was arrested, some believe that he should have received a more severe penalty.
Players should still be sent off if they knowingly obstruct a goal-scoring opportunity by fouling an opponent in the penalty area, despite recent seasons’ easing of the rules governing red cards resulting from fouls in the box.
Szoboszlai was dragged down by his shirt by Gross, who made no attempt to play the ball in this situation. He may have been fortunate to avoid receiving a red card as a result.
After the game, Micah Richards said on Sky Sports that the Brighton player ought to have been given the boot.
“I think by the letter of the law he does, if he doesn’t pull him back it’s a clear goalscoring opportunity. By the letter of the law it should have been a red card there…
“He’s just about to slide it into net if he doesn’t pull him. What kind of evidence do you want?
“If he doesn’t pull him there, he’s tapping it in. People might talk about don’t pull him back on the line, but if you look, if he doesn’t touch him he’s sliding it into an empty net.
“If that isn’t the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, I don’t know how.”
With Brighton down to 10 men and trailing by a goal with a half to go, a red card at that point probably would have determined the outcome of the match. Nevertheless, they managed to keep a full complement of players on the field and eventually equalise late in the game.
Liverpool may feel a little mistreated this time around after the uproar surrounding last week’s choices.