Football opinion

The foul claim before Brighton's first goal

Should Brighton's first goal have stood?

TopicVAR and refereeing

Background

United wanted a foul on Šeško before Brighton's first goal, but there was no VAR.

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Brighton pulled one back in first-half stoppage time at Old Trafford when Charalampos Kostoulas scored to make it 2-1. Just before the goal, Manchester United appealed for a free-kick after Benjamin Šeško went down during the build-up. The referee allowed play to continue and, with no VAR in use for the Carabao Cup third-round tie, there was no video review.

Sky Sports highlighted United's complaints in its match report. The Guardian's live reporter took the opposite view and said the incident was not a foul. Kostoulas' goal stood, and Brighton later completed the comeback to win 3-2.

The question is simple: was the referee right to let play continue?

Background

Brighton pulled one back in first-half stoppage time at Old Trafford when Charalampos Kostoulas scored to make it 2-1. Just before the goal, Manchester United appealed for a free-kick after Benjamin Šeško went down during the build-up. The referee allowed play to continue and, with no VAR in use for the Carabao Cup third-round tie, there was no video review.

Sky Sports highlighted United's complaints in its match report. The Guardian's live reporter took the opposite view and said the incident was not a foul. Kostoulas' goal stood, and Brighton later completed the comeback to win 3-2.

The question is simple: was the referee right to let play continue?