Southampton FC

Wasn’t a foul’ – Slot and Rusk disagree over controversial referee decision

Reds defender Jarell Quansah seemed to put down Mateus Fernandes’ clean-through as the home team pushed for a penalty shootout.

Home supporters made impassioned pleas, but referee Simon Hooper waved them away during six minutes of extra time, well beyond the 18-yard box.

At this point in the cup, VAR—which hasn’t been kind to Saints this season—isn’t being used, thus the Premier League leaders dodged retroactive punishment.

The moment the ball is over the top you’re not nervous but the moment you see two players colliding into each other, you always wonder what the decision might be,” said Slot, who was watching from the stands due to a touchline ban.

“In real life, I felt that Quansah had just used his arm, but after seeing it again, I saw that he (Hooper) had the option to make a different decision. I didn’t commit a foul, but you never know when referees make calls, do you?

Rusk, whose press appearance came after the Dutchman’s, had a different take, stating: “At the time, I’ve only seen it from one aspect.

“You can’t get that one, but I think you can get it. I probably need to see it from a couple more angles before I’m more conclusive about my opinion.

However, I had a gut feeling that it was a foul. At the end of the day, we didn’t receive the benefit of the doubt, so we proceeded.

When Saints lost 3-2 to Liverpool at St Mary’s in the Premier League in November, they were also the target of a contentious call.

Adam Armstrong was not given a penalty even though Reds goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher bumped into him. Armstrong was suspended for Wednesday’s cup match.

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