Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler could not believe a decision made by referee Michael Oliver in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, although he also admitted his team deserved to lose.
Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring for the Eagles before a brace from Ismaila Sarr secured the victory and only a late own goal from Marc Guehi gave the home fans something to cheer.
It was the build-up to Chalobah’s goal that bothered Hurzeler after the game as the referee got in Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba’s way as he went for the ball in midfield.
That unintentional block saw Eberechi get hold of the ball and put Palace on the attack, leading to a corner, which eventually ended in Chalobah’s goal.
Hurzeler says that Oliver admitted his mistake in positioning after the game, but was left baffled that the referee did not stop the game when he got in the way.
‘When the referee says after the game it’s his mistake, I don’t understand why he doesn’t stop the game,’ said Hurzeler. ‘So, that’s an unbelievable decision, that something like that happens here. I asked him and he said it’s my mistake.
‘In the end you can say that one corner happened and then the second corner. I think we wouldn’t have pressure, we would win the ball if he didn’t stand there, so it had an impact on the game. To interrupt the game I really don’t understand and there is not explanation for that.’
The referee only has to stop the game if they touch the ball, so Oliver was not obliged to do so in this situation.
Hurzeler’s side are now without a win in four games and the German admitted that the Seagulls were the rightful losers on Sunday afternoon.
‘In the end we deserved to lose and we have to analyse it, reflect on it and try to improve,’ he said.
In contrast, the Eagles are improving after a nightmare start to the season and have two wins and three draws from their last five league games.
‘Happiness,’ said manager Oliver Glasner of his post-match feeling. ‘Especially about the performance of the players, and for our fans here today.
‘We knew it was an important game for our fans, for the club, and so the players performed really well today. We struggled a little bit at the beginning of the game and at the beginning of the second-half, but then we got the game under control, we scored nice goals, so overall, a great performance and a big win.
‘I love football and this atmosphere. I mentioned it at the press conference: we prepared like we prepare every single Premier League game the whole season, [with] what we want to do, how we want to play, their strengths, their weaknesses, especially our strengths… and then, today, we talked about how important it is for our fans.
‘The fans have always supported us the whole season. Even when we had the defeats at the beginning of the season, they were always behind the team, behind us, and we said maybe it’s an opportunity for us to give them a little bit back, and maybe a first Christmas gift!
‘The players – I mention it quite often – are great characters, so they gave the first Christmas gift to our fans, and I hope they enjoyed the afternoon.’
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