Spurs 2-1 Brighton: Alexa, show me blatant cheating by officials

Officials have a difficult job and here at WAB, we try not to be biased towards the Albion and overly criticise them. But how could anyone watch Spurs 2-1 Brighton and not feel like blatant, obvious cheating was taking place?

For the avoidance of doubt and to put some distance between this website and David Icke, the world is not controlled by shapeshifting reptilian aliens masquerading or controlling the President of the United States and the Prime Minister.

Nor were the moon landings faked. The FBI did not stage 9/11, they did not kill JFK and Paul McCartney did not die in a car crash and was replaced by a look-a-like in 1966.

There are, however, two good reasons why English football does not want Brighton or any other club from outside the European Super League Elite Six for that matter gate crashing the Champions League or Europa League spots.

The first is to keep the established teams happy. Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United could all miss out on the top four this season.

If that happens, they are more likely to throw their weight behind joining a closed shop European Super League in future, where they cannot suffer the embarrassment of spending billions of pounds only to be beaten to qualification by Newcastle United, the Albion, Brentford, Fulham and now Aston Villa, who are on a remarkable run since appointing Unai Emery.

The best way to stop a breakaway is by helping the Big Six consistently qualify for the major competitions. Woe betide any well-run club who manage to break their monopoly on football.

Reason two would be the Premier League’s coefficient. The number of places each country is given per competition is based on how their representatives have performed over a set period.

When English clubs struggled to get beyond the group stage of the Champions League and treated the Europa League as a joke several seasons ago, the Premier League almost lost their fourth Champions League spot to Germany based on the coefficient.

It is one of the reasons why reaching the FA Cup final is no longer enough to qualify for Europe ahead of the seventh placed Premier League team.

Millwall buggered England’s coefficient when they qualified via that means in 2004. Wigan Athletic did the same when lifting the FA Cup in 2013, two years after Birmingham City played in Europe following their League Cup victory.

In more recent times, the likes of Burnley and Southampton have both been smaller clubs who struggled to make an impact in European competition.

Are the Premier League now actively using VAR and their officials to prevent a repeat, not wanting to risk little old Brighton being an English representative in Europe?

If they are, they should just tell us. “Look, Brighton are too small a club to play for England in the Champions League.”

That would be more palatable than being blatantly cheated of goals and points when facing one of the European Super League Elite Six. At least we would know where we stand then.

Because cheated is the only word to describe Spurs 2-1 Brighton. Every pundit from BBC Match of the Day to Radio 5 Live to talkSport has drawn the same conclusion – that the Albion were completely and utterly robbed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Robbed is the exact term Chris Sutton used. “Brighton have been robbed this afternoon. At least two horrendous decisions go against Mitoma. Howard Webb will be apologising to them once again, of that I’m sure. Truly awful.”

Commentator Steve Wilson said when VAR did not look at a foul on Kaoru Mitoma shortly after Harry Kane made it Spurs 2-1 Brighton: “Mitoma is first to the ball, out comes Hojbjerg’s foot and he catches Mitoma’s boot. I don’t see how it’s not a penalty.”

You and us both, Steve. Roberto De Zerbi refused to be drawn into criticising the officials, probably because he had been sent off for the second time in three months and did not want to risk the wrath of the FA anymore.

For a club like Brighton obsessed with having a squeaky clean, perfect imagine to the point that others working in the sport refer to them as “the Hyacinth Bucket of football”, it is fascinating to see such a fiery character in the dugout consistently getting in trouble.

Lewis Dunk was not as diplomatic as De Zerbi afterwards. “I don’t see what VAR is here for,” the Albion skipper said. “You bring it in for big decisions and don’t make big decisions. What is the point of it? He has clearly fouled him.”

Once this season already, PGMOL chief Webb has had to not just apologise to Brighton, but drive to the Albion’s training ground and hold a two hour meeting with De Zerbi to explain why his officials got everything so wrong.

That came after Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton, when VAR managed to inexplicably draw their offside lines from the second-last Eagles defender to rule out a perfectly good Pervis Estupinan goal and deny the Albion two extra points.

One such error could be put down to an honest mistake. These things happen. But for VAR to then rule out two more totally acceptable Brighton goals and ignore two penalty appeals in 90 minutes when the Albion were facing a big club who they are upsetting in the battle for Europe. That, surely, cannot be a coincidence.

The fireworks had begun even before kick off, when De Zerbi and Spurs caretaker boss Cristian Stellini had an angry exchange as the management teams took their seats in the dugout.

Stellini is seemingly not a fan of De Zerbi from their playing days in Italy. He had used his pre-game press conference to brandish the Brighton head coach aggressive and said he was not as tactically fluid as Graham Potter, implying De Zerbi is merely hanging on the coattails of his predecessor.

“I think De Zerbi found a good solution to play with his style because that team came with Potter and they know themselves very well,” said Stellini.

No Brighton fan would agree with Stellini’s assessment. De Zerbi has lifted the Seagulls onto a whole new level compared to where Glow Up left them, to the point that Stellini and Spurs are relying on officials to gift them a 2-1 win over Brighton.

The Albion had their first claim for a penalty turned down inside the opening 10 minutes. Joel Veltman was adamant that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had handled in the box to absolutely no interest from Stuart Attwell.

Almost immediately, Spurs swept up the other end to open the scoring. It was a sublime goal from Son Hueng-min, collecting the ball 20 yards out, stepping inside and bending a right footed effort into the top corner.

Seven minutes later and Brighton thought they had equalised. Kaoru Mitoma used his bicep to bring down a pass from Alexis Mac Allister and fired past Hugo Lloris.

The assistant referee flagged for a handball, suggesting that he failed GCSE biology as the hand is not attached to the chest.

Mr Attwell headed to the screen to watch and he too must have fucked up his exams as he incredibly concluded it was a deliberate handball.

The earlier penalty which Veltman wanted was questionable; this on the other hand was a clear cut example of an incorrect decision bordering on cheating. Little did we know how much worse it was going to get.

There was nothing Mr Attwell, the assistant or VAR could do when Lewis Dunk marked his 200th Premier League appearance with the equaliser 11 minutes before half time.

Solly March sent a deep corner towards the back post where Dunk had escaped his marker to rise highest and head home. A rare goal from a set piece for the Albion.

Brighton suffered from a second appalling decision to disallow a goal early in the second half. Danny Welbeck had been on the receiving end of some pretty ludicrous criticism from some Albion fans for starting ahead of Evan Ferguson.

Seemingly, they had all forgotten Dat Guy was the best Brighton player on the pitch in the 3-3 draw with Brentford last week.

Not to mention that the Albion have a hectic schedule over the next two months and rotating Welbeck and Ferguson is eminently sensible from De Zerbi.

Welbeck struck a powerful low effort which clipped Alexis Mac Allister on its way beyond Lloris. The officials did not need a second invitation to rule that Mac Allister had handled and so the goal was chalked off.

De Zerbi and Stellini were given their marching orders shortly afterwards following an altercation between the benches. In a sign of how well the Albion were playing, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were singing the name of former manager Mauricio Pochettino at that point.

Next came the Mitoma penalty incident. It is unlikely you will ever see a more blatant foul not awarded as Hojbjerg stood on the foot of the Japanese international in the box.

VAR did not even suggest Mr Attwell take a look on the pitch side monitor. Strange how he was sent there at every opportunity to rule against Brighton but when one look at a single incident would have led him to award the Albion a spot kick, he was kept well away from the screen.

The officials had by this point done their job in ruling out two Brighton goals and denying the Seagulls two penalties.

Now it was Harry Kane’s turn to do his, the England captain firing in from a Hojbjerg cross via a deflection off Veltman with 11 minutes remaining to make it Spurs 2-1 Brighton.

Even if the Albion had found an equaliser in the short time left, it seemed fairly obvious the officials would have found reason to rule it out.

Spurs knew at full time they had committed a robbery. Mr Attwell, his officiating team and VAR must have known it too.

Their mission was to stop Brighton pushing for a Champions League spot and with the gap to the top four now extended to 10 points, they have probably succeeded in their aim.

Let us see how they can all conspire to fuck Brighton over away at Chelsea next week. Because we cannot have a small club like the Albion humiliating the European Super League Elite Six… again.