Sunderland’s goal vs Leeds should’ve been disallowed, Keith Hackett explains why
Simon Adingra’s goal in Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Sunday should not have stood.
That is according to ex-PGMOL chief and former FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that he feels referee Tony Harrington should have intervened in the goal.
Adingra’s curling strike put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin rescued a point for Leeds immediately after the half-time break.
The share of the points leaves both newly-promoted sides in relatively strong positions in the Premier League, with Leeds having now built up a seven-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.
PGMOL criticised amid Leeds shirt pull incident
Leeds enjoyed the better of the second half against Sunderland, but they were ultimately unable to find an all-important winning goal.
However, Daniel Farke and his players may well have been left feeling aggrieved after an incident that occurred just seconds before Adingra put the hosts ahead.
Leeds won the first contact from a long throw-in into their penalty area, and Ethan Ampadu then pounced on the loose ball in a bid to clear his lines.
However, the Whites’ skipper appeared to have his shirt pulled while attempting to clear his lines, and that allowed Granit Xhaka to steal possession and slide the ball through for the goal.
Both Harrington and VAR official Matthew Donohue saw no reason to rule out the Sunderland goal, but Hackett feels that the goal should have been ruled out in line with Law 12 of the IFAB Laws, which references the holding of opponents.
“The PGMOL appear to want to see the shirt pull only penalised when it is sustained and has an impact,” Hackett exclusively told Football Insider.
“I take the view that these holding offences should be penalised in line with Law 12. Holding is an offence.”
Simon Adingra creates bizarre Premier League record vs Leeds
Adingra only arrived at Sunderland in the summer, but he has already looked bright in the early months of his time with his new club.
The 23-year-old’s strike against Leeds was his first for the Black Cats, and comes as a welcome return to form after he notched five goals for Brighton in all competitions last term.
However, his big moment for Regis Le Bris’ men also created a bizarre record across the last 12 months.
Adingra hadn’t scored a league goal since Brighton’s 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa on 28 December 2024, meaning that he has now scored in his team’s final game of the calendar year for two successive seasons, according to TNT Sports.
His goal was a hugely important one for Sunderland on this occasion, but everyone at the Stadium of Light will be hoping that they don’t have to wait another year for his next one.