Sunderland were beaten 2-0 by Brighton at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes Pascal Struijk should have not been shown a red card for his foul on Wilson Isidor at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.
Thomas Bramall initially waved play on, but VAR then recommended a review and after a lengthy consultation the referee ruled that Struijk had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity by bringing Isidor to the ground as he chased a through ball from Granit Xhaka. Speaking on Sky Sports News show Ref Watch, Gallagher said that a foul and a yellow card would have been the right decision as he believed goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen would have beaten Isidor to the ball.
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"The referee plays on for whatever reason," Gallagher said.
"It's a foul for me. If the referee whistles at that point, pulls out a yellow card, and it all goes away. VAR got involved because they felt that the player would gain control of the ball. With the goalkeeper there, I wonder if it goes from obvious to a possible goalscoring opportunity. If it does, it's a yellow."
Also speaking on the show, former Premier League striker Jay Bothroyd said he agreed with that assessment.
"I think the keeper is getting there," he said.
"At the bare minimum, the goalkeeper is competing. It is not obvious that Isidor is going to get there; I don't think it should be a red card."
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Speaking immediately after the game, Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler said he has not seen the incident back but questioned whether it met the threshold of a clear and obvious error for VAR to intervene.
He said: "I haven't seen it back yet so the only thing I can say is that we had so many meetings before the season where we got educated that the VAR only comes into the game when it's a clear wrong decision, and I think no-one in the stadium saw a clear wrong decision."
The decision did not alter outcome of the game, with Brighton defending their one-goal lead and adding a second in stoppage time. Struijk is now facing a one-game suspension but Brighton could decide to appeal the decision.