Alan Shearer criticises referee after Callum Wilson denied goal in Brighton draw

Alan Shearer has criticised referee Graham Scott for controversially blowing his whistle 'far too quickly' to penalise Callum Wilson for a foul, just as the Newcastle United striker was bearing down on goal against Brighton.

The incident occurred in the 14th minute of the game in the goalless draw at the AMEX Stadium. Wilson chested down a lofted ball into the box and as he tried to loop the ball over Brighton defender Lewis Dunk to tee himself up for a volley on goal, the referee quickly blew up for a foul, with Wilson penalised for a high foot.

The ball ended up going into the back of the net, but the whistle had already blown, and as a result, a lot of the players had stopped as Wilson fired home. The striker certainly raised his boot, but there is confusion as to why Scott blew his whistle so quickly, with both Eddie Howe and Shearer believing that the referee should have let play continue, and then let VAR look at the incident.

"You're not overly happy with the Callum Wilson goal that was disallowed," Gary Lineker said to Shearer on Match of the Day. "You're a bit grumpy."

"I thought the referee was far too quick to blow his whistle here," said Shearer. "He blows it for dangerous play, but look, the defender is a yard away from Callum Wilson."

Lineker replied: "It's a foot. That's not a yard."

"It's a yard away, Gary," said Shearer. "Dangerous play? The defender is nowhere near him. Everyone stops, because the referee, in my opinion, blows far too quickly."