Match of the Day pundits deliver verdict on VAR controversy in Leicester City's loss vs Brighton
City fell to a 2-1 loss at the AMEX Stadium in a game that saw a controversial penalty and two Leicester goals disallowed.
Amie WilsonMidlands football writer
Leicester City's Harvey Barnes celebrates Leicester's goal against Brighton before it is ruled out by VAR for blocking the goalkeeper's line of sight. (Image: Steven Paston/PA)
Both Dion Dublin and Alan Shearer have said that two of the three decisions to go against Leicester City against Brighton on Sunday afternoon should have been overturned by VAR.
The game at the AMEX Stadium was full of controversy. City lost 2-1 thanks to a Neal Maupay penalty and a Danny Welbeck header either side of half-time.
Jamie Vardy halved the deficit in the second half with a well-worked team goal, and as Brendan Rodgers' side pushed for an equaliser, they saw two goals ruled out as Harvey Barnes was deemed to be offside.
The first half penalty was the first decision that went against City with Jannik Vestergaard penalised for a handball inside of the area.
However, replays showed the defender being pulled down by Maupay, something which both Dion Dublin and Alan Shearer believe should have seen the penalty overturned by a VAR check.
"The frustrating thing is, the ball hits Vestergaard's hand, ok, fair enough, we can all see that as clear as day, but we're not seeing Maupay holding his right arm, he can't jump!" Dublin said on Match of the Day 2.
"He's being impeded, that's why he can't jump, that's why the ball hits his hand because he's trying to get some height and he can't, he's being pulled down, he's being fouled and they don't see it in the VAR booth, I don't get it!"
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"That should not be allowed to happen, that is a clear foul," Shearer added.
"They obviously missed that, I don't think they've looked at that, they've just looked at the handball and they haven't looked at Maupay obviously pulling on him."
City thought they had an equaliser on two occasions late in the second half, as Ademola Lookman and Wilfred Ndidi both found the net from set-pieces.
However, on both goals, just as they were wheeling away to celebrate, the lineman's flag cut the joy short, with VAR backing up both decisions in ruling Barnes as interfering with play.
While the pundits can see why the decision on Lookman's goal was given, both have questioned why the same outcome came after Wilfred Ndidi's late header.
"The first one I get and I understand it probably is just, you can see him there, I would go along with that being the correct decision because he probably is in his eye line," Shearer said.
"But the next one, I don't accept, no, because he's two yards to the left of him. Look, there's no way the keeper is stopping that, there's no way he's stopping his view at all."
And Dublin is in agreement with his fellow pundit.
"He's not moaning, the keeper, this one, if you watch the eye line here, you can see the ball, there's nobody in his eyeline whatsoever, it's just a good header, it's a good goal and he's just about to get hold of that ball and launch it into the stands because he's so angry.
"Good goal, that's a clear, good goal."
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