Sports
Officials Got Big Decision Wrong in Liverpool v Brighton
Arne Slot’s Liverpool managed to pick up a statement win on home soil on Saturday, beating Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion 2–0 thanks to a Hugo Ekitike double either side of the half-time interval. Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, speaking about Diego Gomez’s challenge on Florian Wirtz on the stroke of half-time, claimed that referee Craig Pawson made the wrong decision.
A fast start is exactly what the defending champions of the Premier League needed as they hosted the Seagulls – and that is what Ekitike provided in the first minute of action. Yankuba Minteh failed to clear his lines properly and Joe Gomez’s header landed in the vicinity of the goal-getting Frenchman, who lashed his effort home beyond Bart Verbruggen within 46 seconds.
Ekitike was at the double, though, and his second goal came off the back of a teasing delivery from Mohamed Salah, who was substituted on to the sound of applause. Both goals remained unanswered by Brighton as the away outfit struggled to create anything too special – and the aforementioned Hackett claimed they should have been reduced to ten men in the first half.
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Hackett Provides Verdict on Gomez Yellow Card During Liverpool 2-0 Brighton
Liverpool went into the changing rooms the happier of the two teams given Ekitike’s early opener gave them the lead, but they would’ve still felt hard done by as Gomez walked away with a yellow card just before the break. Totally mistiming his challenge, the Paraguayan caught Wirtz on the stomach with his studs and the Brighton man was perhaps lucky to escape with just a booking.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the midfielder’s challenge was checked and cleared by those manning VAR, the Premier League Match Centre insisted that he didn’t use ‘excessive force’ when trying to win the ball and, as a result, a yellow card (Pawson’s original decision) was deemed the right call. “The referee’s call of yellow card to Gomez was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge on Wirtz deemed not to be excessive force and not serious play,” they wrote.
Hackett, however, believed that decision was incorrect. “In my opinion, Gomez, for that challenge on Wirtz of Liverpool, is rather fortunate to stay on the field of play and only receive a yellow card,” he exclusively told Football Insider in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 2-0 home victory against Brighton.
“Hit boot was high, he came in with a degree of pace and he was moving forward. It certainly endangered the safety of an opponent and, for me, that player should have received a red card – and not a yellow.”
Hackett then questioned why Pawson was not asked to take a double-look at the incident on the pitchside monitor at Anfield. “The question I would ask is why didn’t VAR intervene and allow the referee a second look?” Hackett, who began refereeing in local leagues in the 1960s, asked before adding: “We’ve got to think about moving the criteria a little wider on the use of VAR in our game.”
Former Referee Mark Clattenburg Agrees with VAR’s Decision to Award Yellow Card
Ultimately, though, Gomez – signed from Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in January 2025 – escaping an early bath had no bearing on the outcome as Liverpool still ran out victors. That said, the 22-year-old midfielder almost scored early in the second half, which would’ve changed the fixture’s complexion, and Mark Clattenburg has explained why a yellow card was the correct decision. He said:
“Florian Wirtz is caught by the boot of Diego Gomez which catches him in the stomach after playing the ball outside of the penalty area. The result of the challenge is a yellow card for dangerous play. This decision I agree on as it certainly looks worse in slow motion.”
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“To meet the criteria of a red card, there must be malice, force and speed,” Clattenburg said, per Rousing The Kop, before adding: “Not all the criteria is met in my opinion as the challenge lacks speed and malice and Gomez is a split second away from playing a ball in the air.” Next up, Arne Slot-managed Reds faced Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers either side of Christmas Day.
