“It has to be a penalty”
You can’t beat a bit of stoppage time VAR-related drama to blow away the international break cobwebs, can you?
As the Premier League returned, that’s precisely what we were given at Villa Park, as Aston Villa were denied the chance to equalise from the spot against Brighton after the penalty awarded to them by Michael Oliver was reversed following a VAR review.
With Brighton leading 2-1 in stoppage time, Oliver initially deemed Solly March to have tripped Trézéguet in the area.
The referee was asked to consult the pitch-side monitors before making a final decision, and having noted that March kicked the ball against his opponent before making contact , decided to reverse his call.
Most were in agreement that this wasn’t a penalty, but Martin Keown – on co-commentary duty for BT Sport’s coverage of the game – clearly disagreed.
After stating that he thought the original decision was correct, Keown was clearly shocked it had been overturned – even when watching slow motion replays
“It has to be a penalty,” the former Arsenal defender remarked after a free-kick was given to Brighton.
Late VAR drama at Villa Park…
Aston Villa's late penalty award has been overturned!
The correct decision or has Solly March got away with one here? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/CyCipGkKND
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 21, 2020
Plenty watching were amused by Keown’s response:
He gets the ball first so surely that’s not a penalty? Martin Keown, what are you on about? #BHAFC #ASTBHA
— Hunter Godson (@HunterGodson) November 21, 2020
*VAR shows a replay 200 times*
Martin Keown: I'd like to see it again
— EAMO (@EamoV1) November 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/RyanEJourno/status/1330193883490377729
Brighton were able to close out the remainder of the game. They had taken the lead in the first-half through Danny Welbeck, only to be pegged back by an equaliser from Ezri Konsa shortly after the interval.
The winner, however, came just before the hour mark, courtesy of March.
