Alious
Sunderland boss Régis Le Bris has revealed that referee Chris Kavanagh privately admitted he made a major error during the Black Cats’ defeat to Liverpool — conceding he should have awarded Sunderland a penalty for a foul on Brian Brobbey.
The controversial moment came right on the brink of half-time on Wednesday night, when Brobbey appeared to have his shirt clearly tugged inside the Liverpool penalty area by defender Ibrahima Konaté. Despite Sunderland’s strong appeals, Kavanagh waved play on and immediately blew the whistle for the interval.
However, after reviewing the incident during the break, the official reportedly accepted that he got the decision wrong.
Le Bris confirmed the referee’s admission, insisting Sunderland should have been given a golden opportunity to take the lead against one of the Premier League’s biggest sides.
“I agree,” Le Bris said. “The referee recognised his mistake at half-time — the penalty. It was a pen.”
The Sunderland head coach believes the incident is not an isolated case and instead highlights a growing trend of Brobbey being treated unfairly by match officials, largely due to his physical style of play.
Since arriving in the summer from Ajax, Brobbey has become a constant problem for defenders — a point even Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has acknowledged. But Le Bris feels referees are failing to protect his striker properly, often punishing him in situations where he is simply matching the aggression of opposition centre-backs.
According to Le Bris, Brobbey’s strength and physicality should not automatically count against him.
“His style of play is physical,” he explained, “but he needs respect and a different point of view. It’s not a usual style of play and I think at the minute he might be rewarded more often for sure.”
Despite Sunderland’s frustration, Le Bris also praised Liverpool’s defensive pairing of Van Dijk and Konaté, admitting they were outstanding and made it extremely difficult for Brobbey to make a decisive impact.
“Yes. And the two centre-backs on Wednesday were really good,” Le Bris said. “Van Dijk and Konaté were absolutely fantastic.”
The Frenchman added that the level of attention Brobbey received from Liverpool’s elite defenders was proof Sunderland were taken seriously, even in defeat.
“I spoke a bit with Brian this morning,” he continued. “It shows they respected us. They are Liverpool and we faced a big, big challenge.”
Le Bris remains confident Brobbey’s best is still to come, insisting that as his connection with Sunderland’s midfield improves, the striker will become even more dangerous.
“He needs to keep going,” Le Bris said. “With more opportunities and connections with his teammates, there will be the normal process of improvement.”
Although it was a tough night for Sunderland, Le Bris believes Brobbey still managed to create chances — and with a little more luck and fairer officiating, the outcome could have been very different.
“It was tough against Liverpool,” he added. “He had three or four opportunities but the defenders were really excellent. He just has to keep going and keep the same mindset.”
Alious
