‘Sunderland star lucky to escape extra punishment vs Brighton’ – Dermot Gallagher
Dermot Gallagher believes that Sunderland should have been reduced to ten men against Brighton.
Sunderland’s AFCON fears were subdued against Brighton, with the Black Cats more than deserving of the point they picked up at the Amex.
Had it not been for a lack of clinical finishing, Regis Le Bris’ side could easily have taken all three points against the Seagulls.
However, the Black Cats could just as easily been forced to see the game out with a man down, after a challenge that Gallagher believes was worthy of a red card.
Dan Ballard ‘lucky’ to escape red card
Dan Ballard has been a standout performer all season for Sunderland, with an ability to contribute in both penalty areas.
It was no different against the Seagulls, and had it not been for his defensive heroics, the Black Cats may well have left the Amex empty-handed.
The Northern Ireland defender won 12 duels against Brighton, which was the most of anyone on the pitch, according to FotMob.
However, Ballard was involved in a moment of controversy in the final 10 minutes, when he was penalised for a foul on Charalampos Kostoulas.
Claims were that he won the ball, but replays showed that he also caught the man, and Gallagher thinks the contact was red card worthy.
Via Ref Watch, he said: “I think he’s gotten lucky. If you were starting out as a referee, I would say to you that the player has lost control of the ball, and his first priority is to get it back quickly. Often when players do that, they lunge.
“He lunges with his left foot, which I don’t think is the right foot to tackle with. Where he gets lucky is that he just gets him across the foot. He doesn’t quite get his ankle.”
What did the Premier League say about Ballard’s challenge?
Consistency is what people want from referees, and very rarely do you get that in the Premier League.
On several occasions already this season, players have seen red for a challenge very similar to that of Ballard, while others have seen the foul go completely unnoticed.
Thankfully for the Black Cats, this one wasn’t deemed to be violent enough for a straight red.
On the incident, the Premier League said: “The referee’s call of a yellow card to Ballard for a reckless challenge was checked and confirmed by VAR, with the contact deemed to be glancing.“
It means that Ballard will be available for Sunderland’s clash with Leeds this weekend.
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