'Taken a swipe' - Dermot Gallagher gives stinging verdict on Brighton VAR decision after Leicester farce

Brighton, who are sixth in the top flight, took the lead at lowly Leicester thanks to a stunning strike from Japan international Kaoru Mitoma. Marc Albrighton levelled for the Foxes and Harvey Barnes then put Brendan Rodgers’ men into the lead with his seventh goal of the season. Albion’s 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson ensured Roberto De Zerbi’s men claimed a point but they were also unhappy referee Thomas Bramall rejected strong penalty appeals when Danny Welbeck was tripped by Luke Thomas. De Zerbi was booked for protests and Gallagher agreed with Albion boss.

"It was a penalty. He [Thomas] has taken a swipe and missed the ball,” Gallagher said, speaking on Sky Sports Ref Watch. “Welbeck has it and he moves the ball, that is the clue. Many, many times I have said look at the ball. If the ball goes, you know the defender did not play it.”

Gallagher was then asked if that was a clear and obvious error and why VAR did not over-rule the on-field decision. “They [VAR] did [check it] and again I go back to what I said, when they tell me it does not meet the threshold – and then low and behold, you find one that does.”

Albion boss De Zerbi had said: “Today was a bad day for the referee, a very bad day,” he said, as the Seagulls climbed to sixth in the Premier League table.

“I don’t like to speak about referees so much or to cry about the referee after the game. I hate (it), I don’t like the people who cry about the referee but today it is clearly a penalty.

“I’m not able to understand what the referee was watching. If you want you can help me because I don’t understand. There is VAR but I don’t know if it was working or not.

“It’s an important point. I know football and I know sometimes you can lose this game and I think we deserved to win.

“We played better than Leicester in the second half. There was only one team on the pitch, but we could lose the game because we made some mistakes.

“I’m happy for the performance of the players, I’m proud of the way we played after Leicester’s second goal.”