adminSunderland handed instant VAR verdict as Chris Rigg denied first Premier League goal
Chris Rigg was left frustrated on Saturday afternoon after being denied what would have been his first Premier League goal, with Omar Alderete ruled offside in the build-up to the effort.
The 18-year-old Sunderland academy graduate believed he had given the Black Cats a 1-0 advantage against Brighton & Hove Albion shortly after the restart at the Stadium of Light, calmly finishing past Bart Verbruggen just three minutes into the second half.
However, the celebrations were cut short when Alderete – who played a key role in the move – was judged to have been in an offside position earlier in the play.
The attack began when Granit Xhaka took a short free-kick from the centre circle, passing to Trai Hume.
The Northern Ireland international then delivered a lofted diagonal ball toward Alderete, who headed it into Brighton’s penalty area. The ball squeezed through the Seagulls’ defence and fell to Rigg at the far post, where he poked it into the net.
Despite the neat finish, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review confirmed the offside infringement.
The Premier League Match Centre later explained the decision on X, stating:
“VAR checked the referee’s call of goal and established that Alderete was in an offside position in the build-up, recommending that the goal be disallowed.”
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris was already dealing with a depleted squad, with Enzo Le Fee and Nilson Angulo absent from the matchday team. His concerns grew further in the 65th minute when defender Dan Ballard went down injured.
Ballard was forced to leave the pitch and was replaced by Luke O’Nien at centre-back, although the seriousness of the injury remains unknown.
The Black Cats are currently missing several players including Bertrand Traore, Jocelin Ta Bi, Reinildo Mandava, Nordi Mukiele, Romaine Mundle and Robin Roefs, and any additional injury setbacks could create further problems for the already stretched squad.
Sunderland now turn their attention to the upcoming Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday, March 22.
Le Bris’ side will take confidence from the reverse fixture in December, when they secured a narrow 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light thanks to an own goal from Nick Woltemade.
admin
