Gary Lineker's strong stance on penalty that cost Arsenal at Brighton – 'Not the truth'
Gary Lineker's strong stance on penalty that cost Arsenal at Brighton – 'Not the truth'
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Gary Lineker blasted Fabian Hurzeler's verdict on Brighton's penalty against Arsenal as "not quite the truth". The Seagulls put in an impressive performance to secure a 1-1 draw against Mikel Arteta's side. While it was a well-earned point, the nature in which they won their penalty, which was then converted by Joao Pedro, left Gunners boss Mikel Arteta furious.
A chaotic clash in the penalty area saw the ball pop up in the air and Pedro nod the ball first onto the head of William Saliba, before both players clashed heads in the box. Referee Anthony Taylor and those on VAR duty deemed Saliba to have fouled the Brazilian in the penalty area.
After the game, Hurzeler confidently said it was a "clear penalty", while Arteta slammed the decision. On Match of the Day, host Lineker suggested the German had not seen the incident properly. When asked about it in his post-match interview, Hurzeler said: "Penalty. Clear penalty. It’s like if it was another part of the body, then it is a clear penalty. But like this for me, Joao Pedro plays the ball with his head and Saliba comes in too late and therefore it is a clear one.".
Before they ran replays of the incident, Lineker said: "Not quite the truth, I don’t think, as we will show you now.". After pundit Danny Murphy said he doesn't want to see penalties given for accidental collisions, Lineker replied: "I agree. I've watched football for far too long and I've never seen a penalty given for a clash of heads. It happens in every corner!".
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released a brief statement on social media, confirming that they believe the right decision was made. On their Twitter page, they wrote: "The referee's call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty.".
