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“Naturally, they will have a different viewpoint, especially with VAR in their favor; that’s part of football,” said Luton Town manager Rob Edwards, who believes Carlton Morris’ goal against Sunderland on Wednesday night was incorrectly disallowed by the assistant referee. With clear footage supporting his argument, will the VAR officials grant the goal?
Luton Town manager Rob Edwards believes Carlton Morris’ goal against Sunderland on Wednesday night was incorrectly ruled out by the assistant referee.
Before their midweek visit to Kenilworth Road, Sunderland had unpleasant memories from their last match there, having exited the 2023 play-off semi-finals after squandering a 2-1 lead. However, after a dramatic win against Luton, those memories may begin to fade.
Luton showed signs of returning to form during the match. Both teams created opportunities, but the Hatters had the edge in terms of big chances and expected goals. Despite this, they left empty-handed, as goals from Chris Rigg and Romaine Mundle secured the victory for Sunderland. Luton felt they should have also scored twice.
In the first half, Luton looked dangerous from a corner. Daiki Hashioka flicked the ball to Morris, who finished it past Anthony Patterson to give Luton the lead. However, the joy was short-lived as the assistant referee flagged for offside, ruling out the goal due to Jordan Clark’s position during the play. Although Clark didn’t touch the ball, he was deemed to have interfered from an offside position.
Edwards expressed his dissatisfaction with the offside decision, saying, “If we had VAR, maybe it would have gone in our favor.” He argued that Clark didn’t significantly impact the play or interfere with Sunderland players.
Following the loss, Luton sits in 19th place in the Championship table with 11 points from 11 matches.
Despite the disappointment, there were positives to take from the performance. The match featured a scuffle between players at the end, which Sunderland’s Mundle described as “heated.” Although the loss stings, Luton demonstrated clear improvement against a strong Sunderland side currently three points clear at the top of the league. Fans should focus on the Hatters’ pressure on their opponents rather than the unfavorable decisions.
