Brighton boss delivers honest verdict on penalty kick and VAR controversy against Liverpool

Brighton boss Graham Potter has expressed sympathy for Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool’s latest VAR controversy.

The Reds drew 1-1 after a late Premier League drama on the south coast on Saturday.

Pascal Gross converted an injury-time penalty for the Seagulls after Andy Robertson was tried for catching up with Danny Welbeck.

Referee Stuart Attwell kicked off after being asked to consult the field monitor by VAR Kevin Friend, initially ignoring the incident.

Liverpool had already seen two goals scored by VAR, the most controversial when Mohamed Salah was ruled offside by the smaller of the margins in the first half.

Klopp made an unhappy face after the final whistle and was in deep conversation with Attwell as the teams left the pitch.

And his Brighton counterpart, Potter, said: “It wasn’t the most difficult sanction I have seen, I would say.

“Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t.

“It’s a great part of football that we will always debate the decisions of the referees and linesmen.

“You need the margins to follow your path in the Premier League and they clearly followed our path today.

“At the same time, I thought our performance levels were really good and that we deserved something from the game.

“As the clock ticked, I was worried, but I knew we would keep pushing until the end.”

Potter added, “It’s not good when things don’t go your way, I’m not going to lie.

* Vote for your Liverpool MOTM after the draw with Brighton here.

“I was the catcher myself when you scratch your head a bit.

“It will always be there. Whether it’s the VAR, the referees or the linesmen, it’s part of the game.

“It’s frustrating when it’s not your day and when it is you have to be thankful.”