Premier League issue statement on VAR controversy in Brighton vs Southampton
Cameron Archer had a goal ruled out for Southampton during their clash with Brighton because of a controversial offside decision which took VAR four minutes and 27 seconds to check
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorThe Premier League have explained the controversial decision to rule out a potential winner for Southampton during Friday's fiery 1-1 draw Brighton.
Cameron Archer tucked home in the 67th minute to seemingly give the Saints a 2-1 lead, having just got themselves level after Flynn Downes cancelled out Kaoru Mitoma's opener for the hosts. But despite Archer being cleared, as he was onside at the time of Ryan Fraser's pass, a movement made by the offside Adam Armstrong when the ball had gone behind him proved decisive - and divisive.
Addressing the incident on their Match Centre X account, a statement from the Premier League read: "The referee's call of no goal was checked and confirmed by the VAR as Armstrong was in an offside position and deemed to be impacting [Brighton goalkeeper Bart] Verbruggen's ability to play the ball."
Fans weren't impressed with the speed of the process, with it taking four minutes and 27 seconds for VAR to confirm the on-field call of offside. Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who's currently out injured, even posted on X: "You cannot be serious."
A huge 10 minutes of added time were signalled as newly-promoted Southampton pushed for only their second win of the season. Mitoma's header in the 29th minute put Brighton ahead and Russell Martin's side looked to be in for another long night.
But they improved after the half-time break and Downes drew them level just before the hour mark with a thumping strike following a superb move from back to front. As Martin's men grew in confidence, Brighton struggled to regain their grip on the contest.
Tempers flared on the touchline which resulted in the Southampton boss and one of his assistants receiving a yellow card. Fraser's introduction from the bench gave the Saints added impetuous and his well-time ball found Archer on the counter attack.
Should Southampton's goal have been ruled out for offside? Have your say in the comments section.
The former Aston Villa prospect thought that he'd put the visitors ahead until the four-minute VAR check shattered his celebrations. Brighton looked the more dangerous team during added time and Simon Adingra nearly scored the winner, as his first-time effort deflected onto the side of the far post on its way for a corner.
Both sides had to settle for a draw when the final whistle blew, moving Brighton up to second in the table. Southampton, however, remain rooted to the bottom after their difficult start. Next up for the Saints is a clash with Chelsea back at St Mary's, while Brighton travel to Fulham.
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