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The Portuguese coach could not hide his disappointment at the call, which tied the game in the second half
José Mourinho believes referee Graham Scott should explain his controversial decision to concede a goal to Brighton, as Gareth Bale scored the winning goal for Tottenham in a 2-1 win on Sunday.
The Welsh superstar’s header was his first goal of his second spell at Spurs and his first for the club in more than seven years, in a game that was marred by referee and VAR controversy.
After Harry Kane gave Tottenham the lead from the penalty spot early in the game, Brighton midfielder Tariq Lamptey scored the equalizer in the second half despite Seagulls winger Solly March knocking down Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the run-up.
VAR operator Jonathan Moss alerted Scott to the possible foul in preparation for Lamptey’s goal and asked the referee to approach the courtside monitor to review March’s input.
Despite footage from the incident suggesting that March dropped Hojbjerg without touching the ball, Scott ruled that Lamptey’s goal should be held after watching the incident for 70 seconds, much to the frustration of the Tottenham players.
When asked about the decision after the game, Mourinho said his opinion “doesn’t matter” but made it clear that he was not happy by suggesting that Scott should attend a press conference to explain the call.
“I prefer to walk away [from VAR]”Mourinho said to Sky sports.
“The referee should probably go to the press conference and explain. He had time to go to the screen so that only he can explain why it is a goal. He is a good referee and a good guy, only he can explain that decision. My the view doesn’t matter. “
Lamptey’s goal was not the only controversial moment involving VAR, as Brighton’s Leandro Trossard had a penalty appealed by Moss after a review.
Trossard was clearly supported by Spurs defender Matt Doherty as the low center crossed the area, and the Belgian international fell to the ground when his opponent released him.
Tottenham’s victory sees the team climb to second place in the Premier League table, two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Their next league game is at West Brom next Sunday, with a tough trip to Romania’s Ludogorets in the Europa League before Thursday night.
