04 October 2023 , 20:08
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Lewis Dunk says Brighton would be entitled to replay last season's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace if Liverpool were handed the chance to run it back against Tottenham following last weekend's extraordinary VAR controversy.
The Seagulls skipper was speaking in light of Jurgen Klopp's comments - i n which he declared he believes the 2-1 defeat to Spurs should be replayed after Luis Diaz's goal was wrongly disallowed by the video assistant referee.
But Dunk believes any such decision would simply be opening a can of worms as Brighton have also been on the receiving end of several notable blunders - particularly last season during their unlikely pursuit of Champions League football.
"It’s a difficult situation," Dunk said at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille ahead of Thursday night's Europa League showdown in the south of France.
"And it's a difficult answer to give but if you look back at our game last season at Crystal Palace away we had an offside given that they marked the wrong player as well. So do we go back to last season and replay that game where we could get a few extra points and get in the Champions League instead of Europa League. It’s a difficult thing. Do you replay it or not?"
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Klopp says if it was up to him Liverpool would have a replay (PA)PGMOL apologised for the "serious error" that saw Pervis Estupinan's goal wrongly chalked off last February in the 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park after the lines were drawn incorrectly by the VAR officials. Brighton would later receive their third apology of the season from PGMOL following the 2-1 defeat at Spurs in April after Kaoru Mitoma was denied what looked like a blatant penalty following a clumsy challenge from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Dunk added: "There’s many incidents through football that are talking points now. Referees are human, they make mistakes. We make mistakes on the football pitch. VAR was brought in to help with that but it still happens, they’re still human, sitting in a room with a screen in front of them and they’ve missed it. I understand what Klopp is saying but we would say what about our game as well. That should be replayed."
Luis Diaz's goal was wrongly chalked off by VAR (Getty Images)Klopp's argument is Liverpool's situation is "unprecedented" because the initial intention was to award the goal before a remarkable case of miscommunication. Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi also added ahead of Sunday's meeting with Liverpool at the Amex: "I didn't watch the situation so I can't say anything. But I hope the referee for the next game doesn't feel extra pressure - because we play Liverpool on Sunday."
When asked if Tottenham's match with Liverpool should be replayed, the Italian added: "I don't know, I have big respect for Jurgen Klopp and if I tell you something different then it's not right. Last season we lost many points from refereeing decisions. They're humans like me but maybe they make fewer mistakes than me. I can understand Klopp."