A free-kick goal for Brighton to level the proceedings in their tie with West Brom was controversially disallowed by Lee Mason, as the Baggies had not fully set up their wall, despite the official blowing to allow the set-piece to be taken.
The moment of madness may seem somewhat familiar to Liverpool fans and for good reason, with a similar event having occurred in the Reds’ 2-1 victory over the Seagulls in 2019.
As Adrian was lining up his wall (Alisson Becker had been sent off in the latter stages of the second-half), Lewis Dunk chipped away at the deficit with a free-kick after Martin Atkinson blew the whistle.
There was no discussion over whether the referee had made the right decision to give the Brighton man the all-clear, despite the fact that the Liverpool goalkeeper was still by the post lining up his wall.
The more cynical among us might attribute the decision to a long-awaited dose of karma for the Seagulls, nonetheless, it’s a decision from Lee Mason that will have rightly infuriated the South Coast side’s fans, although one could argue the right call was made.
It’s yet another glaring indication of the complete lack of consistency in the decision-making of the Premier League’s officials, a worrying trend that shows no sign of bucking any time soon.
You can catch the clip of the contentious decision below, and the similar moment in a previous meeting between Liverpool and Brighton underneath:
Mad scenes in West Brom v Brighton.
Lee Mason disallows a goal from a quick free kick. He claims he didn’t blow his whistle. The replays show he did blow the whistle. So VAR allows the goal. Then VAR checks for an offside. Then they take another freekick. pic.twitter.com/IpvLcQfNA6
— 101 Great Goals (@101greatgoals) February 27, 2021
Inconsistencies and more often against Liverpool. An identical situation when Brighton took a free kick against us quickly (see where Adrian is standing) and Atkinson decided “so what?” and gave the goal. Today, Mason whistled a second time when he realized the GK was not ready. pic.twitter.com/VnoTOj7Mx1
— Parted Beard (@PartedBeard) February 27, 2021