THE PREMIER LEAGUE have released a statement on the decision to award Brighton a penalty after William Saliba headbutted Joao Pedro…

The Premier League has issued a statement regarding the decision to grant Brighton a penalty following an incident in which William Saliba headbutted Joao Pedro.

Brighton awarded contentious penalty in match against Arsenal

Unusual penalty allows Joao Pedro to equalize for Brighton

The Premier League has issued a statement regarding the decision to grant Brighton a penalty following an incident where William Saliba made contact with Joao Pedro using his head.

Although Saliba’s action did not warrant a red card, referee Anthony Taylor ruled it a foul, resulting in a penalty for the Seagulls, which Pedro successfully converted.

The VAR reviewed the situation and upheld the referee’s decision to award the penalty.

The Premier League match center later provided clarification, confirming the ruling made by both the referee and VAR.

They stated on X: “The referee’s decision to award a penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was reviewed and confirmed by VAR, which found sufficient contact to justify the penalty.”

Reactions from fans were mixed, with one Arsenal supporter arguing against the penalty, stating: “In what world is this a penalty against Saliba?”

In response, another fan asserted: “100% penalty. If you go to kick the ball and catch the player late, it’s a foul, just like with a head! It’s a late foul!”

A third fan commented: “Clear penalty!” while another added: “It’s a clear penalty. You can see that the tackle prevented Pedro from moving forward.”