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TARIQ LAMPTEY rescued a draw for the Seagulls with a remarkable late goal, spoiling Ollie Watkins’ 29th birthday festivities!
Once again, VAR took center stage, leaving referee Craig Pawson looking as perplexed as the onlookers!
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The officiating ignited spirited discussions when two penalty appeals from Villa were turned down, with VAR backing the referee’s choice for one and contradicting it for the other.
The situation resulted in confusion surrounding the official at the forefront as Watkins netted a penalty awarded to his team, leveling the scoring after Simon Adingra’s initial goal.
Morgan Rogers then gave Villa the lead, but Lamptey managed to score late on, re-igniting the match’s controversies.
The clash was fast-paced, intense, and filled with multiple bookings and disputes.
It all started dramatically when Joao Pedro collided with Boubacar Kamara, resulting in a four-minute delay to treat his lacerated brow.
Returning to the field, the Seagulls forward bore a striking resemblance to Rab C. Nesbitt, and the incidents carried on as Unai Emery stumbled while reaching for the ball during a throw-in!
Everywhere fans looked, players were bumping into each other and tumbling to the ground.
However, it was Brighton that struck first, taking the lead at the 12-minute mark.
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The game saw Lewis Dunk send a long ball from defense that was mishandled by Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres, granting Joao Pedro the chance to outmuscle them.
As the ball fell to Simon Adingra, he deftly cut inside onto his right foot and curled a stunning shot past Emi Martinez, finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
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Villa’s trouble compounded with Pau Torres leaving the match due to an ankle injury and being replaced by Tyrone Mings.
Martinez made a vital save from an Enciso effort that dipped, and Jan Paul van Hecke then headed just wide from the ensuing corner.
The match quickly became engulfed in controversy with two first-half penalty appeals echoing Unai Emery’s notions about how ‘politics’ influence VAR decisions.
The Villa manager, still upset about Jhon Duran’s three-match suspension for a foul on Newcastle defender Fabian Schar, conveyed his frustration in program notes.
He stated: “We believe referees are not using VAR adequately.”
“VAR was introduced to ensure we minimize mistakes and that referee decisions – whether accurate or not – are respected on the field. If we start using VAR for political reasons, we are undermining the tool meant to improve the game’s fairness.”
In essence, Emery argues that referees should receive greater assistance from VAR, not less—a point highlighted in this encounter.
Villa faced two penalty claims that referee Craig Pawson overlooked.
The first involved a potential foul on Morgan Rogers by Van Hecke, who made contact with the ball prior to the Villa player going down in the area.
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However, VAR concluded that it was not a clear and obvious error by Pawson, prompting frustration among Villa fans.
Just two minutes later, another contentious moment arose with a markedly different outcome.
Youri Tielemans’ corner kick was mishandled by Bart Verbruggen, and there seemed to be a foul as Joao Pedro clipped Rogers, who went down in the box.
This time, VAR intervened, directing Pawson to review the monitor at the pitch’s side.
After a three-minute delay, Pawson ruled that Rogers had indeed been fouled while determining that Verbruggen had not been impeded during his attempt to gather the ball, subsequently awarding a penalty.
This situation raises questions regarding the expected clarity when decisions are so tightly contested, emphasizing the need for the referee to exert greater authority instead of solely relying on Stockley Park’s judgments.
Ollie Watkins stayed composed and celebrated his 29th birthday by scoring the penalty, sending Verbruggen the wrong way.
After 12 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half, Villa took the lead just two minutes into the second half.
Watkins lofted the ball over Brighton’s defense after a corner was half-cleared, allowing Rogers to control it with his chest before finding the back of the net past Verbruggen.
Nonetheless, Brighton refused to back down and equalized with a spectacular goal just nine minutes from the end.
Pedro executed a clever one-two with Mitoma, laying it off for Tariq Lamptey, who hit a powerful low shot past Martinez from just inside the box, securing a vital point for the Seagulls.
