Roberto De Zerbi right to speak about referee standards
Two teams enjoying excellent seasons to date met at the Amex on Saturday. Fulham have surprised many people by challenging for Europe and we all know how well the Albion have been playing.
Brighton did not let us down as far as commitment and creating chances to score were concerned. It was just one of those games where the ball would not go into the onion bag, as our BBC Radio Sussex pundit Warren Aspinall is fond of saying.
Roberto De Zerbi will need a new vantage point for the FA Cup tie against Stoke City after being shown a red card in the tunnel following the final whistle.
De Zerbi then gave an interview in which he criticised the standard of refereeing in the Premier League only a few days after having a two hour meeting with PGMOL chief Howard Webb.
Brighton were robbed at Crystal Palace by a VAR mistake, which is what brought Mr Webb to Sussex to see De Zerbi. One week later and referee Darren England gave an equally unfair performance.
De Zerbi was right to speak up against it and hopefully PGMOL take on board what he said. I think some referees need to look at the legislation surrounding fairness which applies in the UK and throughout Europe and introduce it to their decision making.
If Roberto does need a recommendation of where to sit for the Stoke match at the Bet365 Stadium, I can recommend getting as high up in the stands as possible.
My view from the East Upper is terrific. Being so elevated with the game playing out below may give De Zerbi a totally different outlook on his team.
Fulham boss Marco Silva recently went through the same experience De Zerbi now faces when his passion on the touchline led to a red card and one-match ban.
Silva is clearly a good manager to have led the Cottagers to 10 wins already this season. Fulham defended better than most teams have managed against Brighton recently, digging in with their backs to the wall and taking their chance ruthlessly when Manor Solomon scored an 88th minute winner.
Almost every Brighton player had a miss near the Fulham goal. Evan Ferguson was first with a shot which flew just over the bar.
Solly March was next. A great ball from Kaoru Mitoma set March off, he shifted onto his left foot and curled an effort which grazed the far post on its way out for a goal kick.
Joel Veltman had a shot deflected away for a corner. Alexis Mac Allister fired straight at Bernd Leno, guarding a goal he knows well from his disagreement with Neal Maupay when playing for Arsenal in 2020.
Fulham defender Issa Diop blocked from Ferguson. No matter what Brighton tried, they could find no way through and so the first half ended with the score at 0-0.
The Albion have been good at turning dominance into goals in the second half recently and you wondered what De Zerbi would say on this occasion to inspire a response.
Brighton were straight back into their groove immediately after the restart. Mitoma spun his magic down the right side and grabbed a corner by getting the deflection off Leno.
From that corner came a Lewis Dunk header just wide. It was a golden opportunity which had slipped away and Dunk knew it judging by his reaction.
It was edge of your seat stuff. Veltman found himself in the Fulham box being clipped by Antonee Robinson. Mr England did not believe it to be a foul or penalty.
March finally popped the ball into the Fulham net but was immediately flagged offside. A high tackle from Andreas Pereira then left March on the ground but was shockingly ignored by Mr England. That decision from the referee nearly proved costly when Fulham countered and came close to scoring.
As the half wore on and Brighton were still struggling to find a goal, I began to wonder if this might be one of those games where the Albion were hit by a sucker punch on the break rather than grabbing a winner themselves.
Moises Caicedo missed an opportunity which flew just past the post. Mitoma went into the penalty area and was dragged to the ground but this was not seen worthy of a penalty by Mr England either.
Substitute Tariq Lamptey worked wonders to link up with Facundo Buonanotte, whose attempt for the top left hand corner was not a million miles away.
Buonanotte was a lot closer when he beat Leno to put the ball in the net from a Deniz Undav square pass, only for Undav to be flagged offside. For the second time, a Brighton goal was disallowed.
An Undav header flicked wide before Fulham found their winner. Undav and Buonanotte went for the same ball with possession returning to Fulham.
Carlos Vinícius put a fine pass through to Solomon whose charge towards goal could not be halted by Dunk, nor could Sanchez stop the shot.
The Cottagers led 1-0 and the game appeared to be over. Brighton though kept going and Mac Allister earned a free kick in a dangerous position.
It was a great strike from Mac Allister, the ball flying like a ballistic missile to beat Leno but crash into the stanchion.
Brighton now have a 10 day break to recover as the the trip to Newcastle United has been postponed due to the Magpies’ participation in the League Cup final.
Hopefully, we might be due a better refereeing performance against the Potters in the FA Cup. Up the Albion.
Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony
