Manchester City denied penalty in Brighton defeat, says former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett

Former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Keith Hackett says Manchester City should have been awarded a penalty during their 1-0 Premier League defeat by Brighton.

Several City players appealed for spot-kicks during Saturday’s match at the Etihad Stadium, but referee Craig Pawson dismissed their claims. His decision was backed by video assistant referee John Brooks.

The most significant incident came shortly before half-time, when the ball struck the arm of Brighton defender Luka Vuskovic inside the penalty area. Diego Gomez had headed the ball towards Vuskovic’s extended arm.

City players immediately protested, but Pawson did not point to the spot and Brooks did not ask him to review the incident.

Hackett, a former English referee, questioned the decision in comments to Football Insider.

“Wow, the player had enough time to withdraw his extended arm, which clearly made his body bigger,” he said.

“This is deliberate handball and a penalty should have been awarded,” added Hackett.

Brighton hold on despite City pressure

Brighton took the lead in the 11th minute. The ball reached Maxim De Cuyper, who finished to put the visitors ahead.

Manchester City attempted to recover but were unable to find a way past Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. City registered 21 shots, while Verbruggen made seven saves and prevented 1.74 expected goals.

The result came a week after City’s defeat by Aston Villa and gave them consecutive Premier League losses.

The report also noted that Manchester City benefited from a refereeing error in September, when VAR allowed Erling Haaland’s decisive goal to stand during the victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The penalty decision against Brighton could therefore be viewed as the opposite of what happened in the Manchester derby. However, the report stressed that the incident did not explain City’s failure to score after conceding an early goal and wasting a number of chances.