Southampton’s Archer goal ruled out by VAR in Brighton match

Southampton: Cameron Archer seemed to have scored a goal that would put his team ahead against Brighton. However, the goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR check, leaving Southampton’s manager, Russell Martin, very upset.

The incident happened during a match at Amex Stadium. Archer’s goal was ruled out because his teammate, Adam Armstrong, was considered offside. This decision came after a four-minute review by VAR, which raised questions about the impact of Armstrong’s position on the play.

Martin expressed his frustration, saying that the VAR system is a “big problem” for the Premier League. He believes that if a goal is disallowed, it should be for clear reasons. He pointed out that the on-field decision should carry weight, and waiting so long for a decision only to have it be controversial is not acceptable.

Brighton had initially taken the lead with a goal from Kaoru Mitoma in the 29th minute. Southampton managed to equalize in the 59th minute with a goal from Flynn Downes. Archer’s disallowed goal would have given Southampton their first away win of the season.

The draw allowed Brighton to move up to second place in the league. Meanwhile, Southampton remains at the bottom of the table, with only one win from 13 games and four points away from safety.

The disallowed goal was a result of a tight offside call. Archer had tapped in a cross from Ryan Fraser, but the assistant referee flagged for offside. VAR took time to review the situation, eventually ruling Archer onside. However, they then checked if Armstrong had interfered with play while being offside.

Armstrong had tried to reach the cross but did not touch the ball. Despite this, the officials decided that his actions were enough to disallow the goal. The Premier League stated that Armstrong’s position impacted the goalkeeper’s ability to play the ball.

After the match, tensions flared between the two managers. Martin and Brighton’s manager, Fabian Hurzeler, exchanged words, accusing each other of disrespect. Both managers received yellow cards during the match, with Hurzeler facing a touchline ban for accumulating cautions.

Hurzeler expressed his confusion over the yellow card he received, while Martin countered that respect should be mutual. The heated exchange highlighted the frustrations surrounding the match and the VAR decisions that influenced the outcome.

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