Southampton scored what appeared to be a late winner against Brighton in the Premier League on Friday night, but it was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his verdict on the incident, suggesting that by the letter of the law, it should have been ruled out.
The Saints produced an impressive performance against the Seagulls, who have been flying in England's top flight of late. Despite going a goal behind, Russell Martin's side found an equaliser as Flynn Downes powered home from just inside the penalty area.
Southampton kept pushing to find a winner, and they thought they'd done so as Cameron Archer arrived at the back post to tap into an empty net. After a lengthy VAR review, Adam Armstrong was adjudged to have been interfering with play, preventing goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from making a save.
Reacting to the incident, former Premier League referee Gallagher has given his verdict, suggesting that by the letter of the law, the officials were right to have ruled the goal out...
"By the letter of the law, yes [it should have been ruled out]. And then it comes down to a matter of the opinion.
"The on-field decision was offside. I can't say it's wrong because the VAR backs him."
Not only was the decision a controversial one, the length of time it took to come to a verdict would have been frustrating for fans, especially those inside the stadium. 10 minutes of added time was added on at the end of the game due to the delay, with the game ending 1-1 as both sides failed to find a winner.