Exclusive: Gillett slammed as Mitoma’s Brighton winner v Chelsea ‘easy’ to disallow
Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma should have seen his match-winner against Chelsea ruled out for a handball, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that referee Jarred Gillett had got an “easy decision” wrong by allowing the goal to stand.
Chelsea travelled to the South Coast to face off against their Premier League rivals in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The decision by the FA to not have VAR or Hawkeye goal-line technology be used until the fifth round of the competition has been a controversial one.
Harry Maguire scored a last-minute winner against Leicester on Friday (7 February), that should have been ruled out as the defender was clearly offside.
Joe Willock’s goal for Newcastle against Birmingham was also a controversial one, and Hackett could not understand why the FA had chosen to not use the technology to assist their referees.
Keith Hackett gives Brighton goal verdict as Chelsea lose
Chelsea were gifted an opener in the fifth minute, following a shocking mistake by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Georginio Rutter made amends for the Belgian’s howler, by equalising in the 12th minute for the Seagulls with a fantastic header from a Joel Veltman cross.
The Frenchman has stepped up for Brighton in recent weeks, following Evan Ferguson’s loan move to West Ham in the winter transfer window.
With the score level at 1-1, Mitoma would give Brighton a lead in the 57th minute, but the goal was not without it’s controversy.
Tariq Lamptey took a hopeful shot that was blocked by Moises Caicedo, the ball then pinged off of the Ghanaian defender’s hand, and following a scramble, Rutter found Mitoma, whose own control also appeared to be aided by a raised arm, before the Japanese forward past Robert Sanchez.
Following the decision to allow the goal, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett said:
“Brighton scored a controversial goal against Chelsea. It should have been ruled out.
“The Brighton player made his body silhouette bigger, he leaned to the [side], his arm was up in the air, it was hanging out, the ball’s struck. That goal should not have been allowed to stand. No VAR of course.
“Whilst there are shortcomings in the way the PGMOL use VAR it clearly shows how match officials have a reliance on it.
“This, in refereeing terms, was an easy decision to make. No Goal!!”
Brighton recover after 7-0 battering by Nottingham Forest
This was the first of two matches in which Brighton will face Chelsea, as the two sides will meet on 14 February in the Premier League.
The Seagulls were demolished 7-0 in their last league game, as Nottingham Forest ran riot off the back of a Chris Wood hattrick.
Fabian Hurzeler could have been sacked as Brighton manager after the defeat, but progressing to the FA Cup fifth round should alleviate some of the pressure on him.
A 2-1 win over the Blues will go a long way to rebuilding the confidence that was lost, following the heavy defeat against Forest.