Watch as BT Sport pundits grill former referee over VAR after Tottenham vs Brighton controversy - 'Get off the fence'

After having two goals disallowed for handball, Brighton were denied a clear penalty at 1-1 around the 70th minute mark – despite a VAR check.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg tripped Kaoru Mitoma in the box but nothing was given - sparking fury in the BT Sport Score studio.

Former Chelsea, Celtic and Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton said: “He stands on his foot. That's a penalty.

“That's a disgrace, an absolute disgrace that Brighton aren’t awarded that.”

Host Jules Breach, incredulous, brought former referee Peter Walton into the debate.

The 63-year-old, who officiated in the Premier League from 2003 to 2012, said: “It's a penalty kick. I can't defend it. The player has dangled his foot and he has caught him. For me, it's a penalty kick and it's one where VAR should get involved.”

Former Leicester City and Derby County midfielder Robbie Savage – who had a stint at Brighton on loan in 2008 – questioned if decision making had improved since Howard Webb became the new chief refereeing officer in August 2022.

Walton said it was ‘the wrong time to answer’ due to him not being in charge long enough.

"We are are the point in the season, when every decision is a huge decision,” he said.

Savage playfully demanded that Walton ‘gets off the fence’.

“Yeah he's my mate but he's doing a grand job,” Walton said on Webb. “How long would you give a normal manager?”

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown then chipped in, asking if Webb had been let down by his staff as VAR ‘should be picking that up’, referencing the ‘absolutely crazy’ penalty decision.

Walton replied: “Howard knows VAR has not been set up the way it was supposed to be. He's dealing with it.

"It's a slow process, unfortunately, but he's dealing with it. We are seeing changes already. Unfortunately today, it's not one of their better days.”

An increasingly frustrated Robbie Savage then exclaimed: “It's their job. We are all watching the TV, everybody in the world can see that's a penalty.”

Squirming, Walton said: “I don't know. VAR is told some weeks to do it, some weeks not to do it [overrule the referee].”

The result leaves Europe-chasing Brighton in seventh – overtaken by in-form Aston Villa – but with two games in hand. Spurs have extended the gap between them and the Seagulls to seven points meaning they will remain ahead of Brighton, even if they were to win their spare games.

See also: Brighton player ratings: Ace lands 8/10 and four 7/10s at Tottenham VAR farce

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