Ex-refs chief drops double penalty verdict as Man City vs Brighton footage re-analysed

Keith Hackett, ex-PGMOL chief, says only one of Man City's two rejected penalty appeals against Brighton was justified; Vuskovic's handball should have been given.

Manchester City's 1-0 defeat to Brighton on 31 October saw two penalty appeals rejected by the referee. Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has now reviewed the footage and concluded that only one should have been awarded.

The first incident, just before half-time, involved Elliot Anderson's pass deflecting off Luka Vuskovic's outstretched arm inside the area. Hackett said Vuskovic should have been punished: "His arm's already way out, stretched out horizontally; it cannot be any wider. There was sufficient distance coming in to actually withdraw or make a movement to withdraw it, but he's not."

The second appeal involved Lewis Dunk blocking Iliman Ndiaye's cross. Hackett disagreed this was a penalty: "It looks as though it's hit the knee and come to the arm possibly. In either case, let us assume that it's come off the naturally positioned arm. There's little he can do."

Man City have now lost consecutive league matches to Aston Villa and Brighton after a seven-game winning run, and their Premier League title chances have dropped to 18.86 per cent according to Opta.