Mike Dean reacts instantly to footage of Brighton vs Aston Villa controversy on Sky Sports
Aston Villa went behind early on in their trip to Brighton as Jan Paul van Hecke bundled home from a corner but there was an element of controversy about the goal.
Unai Emery’s side came into the contest full of confidence, on a run of five straight wins across all competitions.
On Sunday, Aston Villa beat Wolves 1-0 to move up into the Premier League top four, and only three points adrift of table-topping Arsenal.
However, the Midlands outfit got off to the worst possible start on the south coast, with van Hecke opening the scoring, before Pau Torres put the ball into his own net.
Ollie Watkins then halved the deficit with a sliding finish, before drawing Villa level moments before the break.
Aston Villa furious as referee makes wrong decision
Brighton went 1-0 up courtesy of Van Hecke, who got on the end of an early corner and somehow managed to force the ball over the line.
Aston Villa players immediately ran over to referee Andy Madley, believing that the centre-back had handled the ball prior to scoring the opener.
However, according to former official Mike Dean, there was no handball offence, with the ball actually hitting Morgan Rogers on the arm.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Dean said: “Both Van Hecke and Rogers go up with their arms. It hit Rogers’ arm, but it wasn’t handball from Van Hecke.”
The ex-referee went on to explain that the corner itself should never have been awarded, as the ball came off Maxim De Cuyper instead of Matty Cash before going out of play.
“Just before the goal, the ball went out for a corner. It shouldn’t have been a corner, it was a goal kick, it deflected off a Brighton player’s head. He (the referee) has given a corner, but it should have been a goal kick.”
Aston Villa let down by Marco Bizot
Emi Martinez was the Aston Villa hero against Wolves, making a number of impressive saves to keep Rob Edwards’ side at bay.
However, Martinez was injured in the warm-up ahead of the Brighton game, and was replaced by Marco Bizot between the sticks.
Villa immediately felt the absence of their number one keeper, as Bizot completely missed Brighton’s early corner, allowing Van Hecke to bundle into an empty net.
While the corner should never have been given in the first place, the Dutch shot-stopper has to be much stronger in that position in order to claim the cross.
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