Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi criticizes refereeing after Sheffield United draw

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi criticized English referees after a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United. He questioned VAR consistency and the team's response to Dahoud's red card. The draw lifted Sheffield United off the table's bottom, but manager Paul Heckingbottom downplayed its significance, focusing on the points and pleasing their performance against a good team.

Zor

November 14, 2023

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi expressed frustration, stating, “I don’t like 80 percent of English referees,” after his 10-man team drew 1-1 with Sheffield United. Adingra gave Brighton the lead, but Dahoud’s red card shifted the dynamics, allowing Sheffield United to level with a Webster own goal.

De Zerbi, amid his longest winless streak at Brighton, criticized referees, saying, “I don’t like their behavior on the pitch.” He questioned VAR consistency, stating, “In England, [with VAR], you are not sure the decision is right.”

Acknowledging Dahoud’s valid red card, he voiced frustration with his team’s response, saying, “After the red card, I didn’t like the team. We could have won two or three nil, but after the red card, the game changed.”

The draw lifted Sheffield United off the table’s bottom, but manager Paul Heckingbottom downplayed its significance, stating, “It is irrelevant… What is pleasing is how we’ve played against a good team. It is always about the points.”

🗣️ “I don’t like 80 per cent of referees in England”

Roberto De Zerbi speaking after he was booked and Mahmoud Dahoud sent off in Brighton’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield Utd ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LUTP5XuBqt

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 12, 2023

Here is the highlight video of Brighton vs. Sheffield United, which ended with a 1-1 draw.

Brighton & Hove Albion performance and stats

Brighton & Hove Albion

Manager: Roberto De Zerbi

Premier League

Rank 13th

Win 11

Draw 11

Loss 12

Goals 52-57

Diff -5

Europa League

Rank 1st

Win 4

Draw 1

Loss 1

Goals 10-5

Diff 5

Top 3 Scorers

This season

Brighton & Hove Albion is currently 8th in the Premier League with 19 points.

In the last 12 games, it has won 4 times, drawn 5 times, and lost 3 times. In its last match, Brighton & Hove Albion drawn 1-1 against Sheffield United.

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 25 goals and conceding 21.

Brighton & Hove Albion will play the next match in Premier League against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 25th of November in Nottingham.