Burnley of the English Premier League (EPL) lost the victory they had hoped to achieve by allowing an equalizer due to an unclear decision. Not only the Burnley manager but also the club owner came forward and strongly criticized the referee who made a mistake.

Burnley drew 1-1 with Ruran Town in the 2023-24 EPL round 21 home game held at Turf Moor in Burnley, England on the 13th (Korean time).

Burnley, who scored the first goal in the 36th minute of the first half, came close to victory, but gave up a header equalizer to Carlton Morris in the 47th minute of the second half.

Burnley, who went 3 consecutive games without a win (1 draw, 2 losses), recorded 3 wins, 3 draws, and 15 losses (12 points), ranking 19th out of 20 EPL teams. They are 4 points behind 18th place Luton (16 points).

If Burnley had won this game, they could have narrowed the gap with Luton to one point and increased their chances of escaping the relegation zone. However, one referee’s decision took away Burnley’s hope.

A controversial situation occurred in the 47th minute of the second half.

Luton, who were behind by one goal, launched a counterattack, and Alfie Doughty crossed from the left side towards the goal. Morris hit the net with his head, but before that, Elijah Adebayo interfered with goalkeeper James Trafford, who was trying to catch the aerial ball.

However, this score was recognized as a goal after video review (VAR). Burnley protested strongly, but the decision was not overturned.

After the game, Burnley expressed strong dissatisfaction with the controversial goal.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said: “I don’t know what to say to our players. “This is nonsense,” he said, raising his voice.

He continued, “This is something. I just don’t understand. “(Adebayo) clearly intentionally tried to block the goalkeeper,” he said, pointing out the referee’s mistake.

Burnley defender Dara O’Shea also said, “I cannot accept the referee’s goal decision. “It’s an incomprehensible decision,” he said. “We are very disappointed with the draw.”

JJ Watt, Burnley’s co-owner and former NFL player, said, “(Luton’s goal situation) is a blatant and clear foul. “It is truly shameful that not only the referee but also VAR missed this,” he strongly criticized. 19가이드03