Ex-refs chief blasts VAR as Craig Pawson ‘compromised’ over Liverpool vs Brighton controversy
Craig Pawson should have been rescued by VAR after failing to send Brighton down to 10 men against Liverpool at Anfield.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that Diego Gomez should have seen red for his challenge on Florian Wirtz on Saturday, 13 December.
Coverage leading into the game was shrouded by Arne Slot’s falling out with Mohamed Salah, but that was quickly forgotten about when Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring inside the first minute.
The Reds could have all but sealed their victory had the Seagulls been sent down to 10 men, and the home supporters felt that is exactly what should have happened after a VAR check.
Instead of being sent to the pitch-side monitor to watch Gomez rake his studs down Wirtz’s stomach, but play was waved on, with the Paraguay international being shown a yellow card instead.
Keith Hackett points the finger at VAR after Diego Gomez’s red-card challenge
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about Gomez’s rash challenge on Wirtz, the former referee believes Pawson may have been unsighted, but VAR should have intervened.
“The Brighton player had every opportunity to pull out of this foul, and there is no question that the boot was leading at pace, waist-high, and fulfilled, in my opinion, serious foul play,” he said.
“The yellow card for this challenge was insufficient, and this incident should have seen the intervention of VAR, and a second look for the referee, who may, from his view, have had his vision of the incident compromised by the offending player.”
Hackett has criticised Pawson’s officiating previously in the 2025-26 campaign, and this is yet another incident that the referee will not want to watch back after failing to act accordingly.
Chris Sutton agrees with the former head of the PGMOL
Mike Dean had already disagreed with the decision, and it appears that Chris Sutton feels exactly the same over the controversial incident. It is likely to be a talking point for the rest of the day.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, transcribed by BBC Sport (13 December), he said: “The challenge on Wirtz is a really poor one from Gomez. It’s really high and catches Wirtz in the stomach.
“He must’ve been booked from that? So high and dangerous. Another day, he could’ve seen red.”
Everybody appears to be in agreement over the decision, begging the question of why the Premier League have backed the referee’s decision to only show a yellow card.
A short trip to the pitch-side monitor would have solved everything for the officials, at least if Pawson had changed his mind, but it is yet another controversial incident that Howard Webb needs to address.
Premier League referees have been under the microscope this season, with several wrong decisions being made, and fans are becoming more and more frustrated by the controversies.