Premier League make announcement on Sunderland vs Brighton controversy
Sunderland were infuriated by VAR drama during their 1-0 defeat by Brighton on Saturday.
The Black Cats were condemned to a third straight loss in the Premier League after Yankuba Minteh’s clever finish proved the only goal of the game at the Stadium of Light.
His strike from an incredibly tight angle was allowed to stand, with play continuing despite Habib Diarra going to ground after contact from Lewis Dunk – an incident that was cleared.
Frustration also mounted after Chris Rigg saw a goal ruled out, with VAR intervening again.
Why was Chris Rigg’s goal disallowed?
Rigg brilliantly found the bottom corner four minutes after the restart for his first Premier League goal, only for his effort to be chalked off because Omar Alderete had strayed offside.
Subsequent replays confirmed the decision had indeed been correct, with at least half of the Sunderland defender’s body visibly beyond the last man in the build-up.
During the match, the Premier League Match Centre provided further clarity on the incident.
“VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Alderete was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed,” they posted on X.
Alderete had managed to nod the ball into Rigg’s path after Trai Hume’s pass forward, but the final moment proved the Mackems’ undoing, a recurring theme throughout the 90 minutes.
In the end, Sunderland couldn’t carve out a clear chance in their hunt for a leveller, while only Diego Gomez’s glaring miss from close range prevented them from going two goals down.
Chris Rigg poor vs Brighton
Rigg was handed his 14th first-team appearance of the campaign but didn’t take his chance.
The 18-year-old completed just 69 per cent of his attempted passes and mustered up one shot in the entire match, which whistled wide of the target.
While he took 53 touches, he lost possession 18 times and completed two of his four attempted dribbles. Rigg also recorded only one progressive carry on a poor day for the hosts.
| Chris Rigg vs Brighton | Statistic |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 22/23 (69%) |
| Touches | 53 |
| Lost possession | 18 |
| Successful dribbles | 2/4 (50%) |
It is now one in six in the top-flight for Regis Le Bris‘ side, and their abysmal FA Cup elimination to League One minnows Port Vale also added to the creeping gloom.
With Newcastle United next up, nothing short of a big response will do.
For more Sunderland news and insight, head over to Football Insider.