Liverpool vs Brighton: Premier League Issues Explanation Following Controversial Refereeing Call
Arne Slot’s Liverpool headed into the interval of their Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion in the ascendancy, holding a narrow advantage thanks to Hugo Ekitike’s early strike. However, despite the lead, there was a strong sense of injustice among the Anfield crowd after Diego Gomez avoided a red card right on the brink of half-time. The Premier League has since issued a statement clarifying the officials’ decision.
Desperate for a statement victory following a difficult couple of months for the reigning champions, Liverpool started at a blistering pace. Once again preferred to the £125 million Alexander Isak, Ekitike capitalised on a defensive lapse from Brighton and calmly finished past Bart Verbruggen. The goal brought clear relief for everyone connected with the hosts, from the supporters in the stands to Slot on the touchline. Yet there was a growing feeling that Brighton should have been forced to play the second half with ten men after Gomez’s clash with Florian Wirtz resulted only in a yellow card, rather than a dismissal for the 22-year-old Paraguayan.
Premier League explain why Gomez avoided a red card
With less than a minute remaining before the break, Gomez was pushing aggressively to win the ball as Brighton searched for an equaliser. His over-enthusiastic challenge on Wirtz infuriated Liverpool fans, who were left stunned that the referee opted to brandish only a yellow.
Replays showed the Brighton midfielder badly mistiming his tackle and catching Wirtz — the summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen — high in the stomach with his studs. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the Premier League Match Centre confirmed that the incident had been reviewed by VAR, which agreed with the on-field decision, ruling that the challenge did not meet the threshold for serious foul play due to a lack of excessive force.
“The referee’s yellow-card decision for Gomez was checked and upheld by VAR, with the challenge on Wirtz deemed not to involve excessive force and therefore not serious foul play.”
Signed from Inter Miami, Gomez may feel fortunate that Craig Pawson and the VAR officials judged the offence as worthy of only a caution. BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Chris Sutton strongly disagreed, saying: “It’s a really poor challenge from Gomez. He’s gone in very high and caught Wirtz in the stomach. It’s dangerous, and on another day he could easily have been sent off.”
Salah makes his return
Mohamed Salah was back in Liverpool’s matchday squad for the December 13 encounter with Brighton, following his very public dispute with Slot. The Egyptian forward was soon called into action after Joe Gomez was forced off injured in the 25th minute.
Regarded as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, Salah began the game on the bench, having been left out of the midweek Champions League trip to Inter Milan after his explosive interview. “I couldn’t believe I was on the bench for 90 minutes — that’s the third time,” Salah had said. “It’s the first time in my career. I’m very disappointed. I’ve done so much for this club over the years, especially last season. It feels like the club has thrown me under the bus.”
As it turned out, Salah’s return to the pitch came quickly, replacing Gomez before the half-hour mark. The Anfield faithful made their stance clear, giving the 33-year-old a warm and emotional reception, with many supporters rising to applaud as he stepped back onto the field.