The former referee offered his thoughts on Birmingham City not being awarded a penalty during the Championship clash.
The Saints are in fantastic form entering into the encounter, while the Blues have lost both of their games under Wayne Rooney.
Southampton was largely expected to be the dominant team, and they delivered.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis, for example, gave the home side an early lead in the ninth minute, and Carlos Alcaraz doubled Southampton’s lead in the 22nd minute, after some very passive Blues defending.
In the end, Jay Stansfield’s second-half score was nothing more than a consolation goal, but it did get Birmingham back into the game for a while.
That was before Adam Armstrong sealed the Saints’ three-point victory in the 86th minute.
Should Birmingham City have had a penalty v Southampton?
However, there was a highly contentious incident during the game when, with the Blues behind 2-0, Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu collided with Birmingham attacker Oli Burke in the first half.
Despite the fact that Burke definitely got to the ball with his head first and the Saints keeper fully clattered him thereafter, no penalty was given.
“As much as I dislike hammering referees and officials, it’s such a poor decision, it’s such an easy decision to make.”
“The ‘keeper is nowhere near the ball, Jutkiewicz [it was actually Burke] has won the header and he has just been wiped out, it’s a penalty all day.”
Later, Dean remarked, “That’s just basic refereeing.”
What did Wayne Rooney say about the penalty incident?
During the challenge, Wayne Rooney appeared visibly frustrated on the sidelines as his team was not granted a penalty kick. He expressed his belief that it was a clear penalty when speaking to the media after the match through SportsMax, stating, “These situations arise when VAR is not available. I’m not a supporter of VAR, and while I understand that referees and linesmen can make mistakes, what’s unacceptable is the decision regarding the penalty.”
Rooney continued by emphasizing the glaring nature of the incident, saying, “It was absurd, and everyone in the stadium could see it. The goalkeeper was fully committed, charging at high speed, and his actions were reckless. If he’s coming in like that, he must win the ball, but he completely took out Burkey.”
He also expressed his frustration with the referee’s unwillingness to consider input from his fourth official and assistant, revealing, “The most frustrating part is that the fourth official informed me that the referee was unwavering in his decision and refused to heed advice from his colleagues. He insisted there was only minimal contact. This concerns me.”
Rooney further expressed his hope that VAR doesn’t become a standard practice, but he firmly believed that they would have been awarded a penalty had VAR been in use, concluding, “I understand that referees can make mistakes, and I can accept that, but in my opinion, this was an egregious error.”
What did Russell Martin say about the penalty incident?
Even Southampton manager Russell Martin couldn’t disguise the fact that his team had been awarded a penalty, telling the reporters via SportsMax: “I haven’t seen it back but at the time I thought it was a penalty.”
“I feel for Wayne, and if he’s frustrated, I am as well.”
“It was a moment of madness from Gav. He hadn’t had a lot to do at that point.”
After the result, Southampton sit fourth in the Championship standings, whilst Birmingham City dropped down to 14th.
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