- Jobe Bellingham had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside on Saturday
- Replays showed he was well onside, but he was denied by a refereeing error
- Mauricio Pochettino has so much work to do with woeful Chelsea – It’s All Kicking Off
Jude Bellingham’s brother Jobe had a goal wrongly ruled out after a huge refereeing mistake in Sunderland’s Championship clash with West Brom at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The Black Cats thought they had taken the lead in the 16th minute when Adil Aouchiche’s shot was spilt by West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer and Bellingham poked home the rebound from close range.
But the assistant referee’s flag went up immediately for offside. However, replays showed that Bellingham was actually being kept onside by two yards by Baggies defender Cedric Kipre, and the goal should have stood.
Bellingham’s team-mate Patrick Roberts was stood in an offside position, but was clearly not affecting play, meaning there was no reason for the official to flag for offside.
Bellingham, who is still only 18, was denied his fourth goal of the season, having made an impressive start to his Sunderland career following his summer move from Birmingham.
Jobe Bellingham had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside on Saturday afternoon
Replays showed Patrick Roberts (right) was offside but was not interfering with play, while Bellingham was being played onside by a West Brom defender
He is looking to emulate his older brother who has been an instant hit at Real Madrid, netting 15 goals in 17 appearances this term.
Despite that early setback, Sunderland quickly bounced back to pick up all three points in front of their home fans.
They finally got their breakthrough in the 69th minute through Daniel Ballard and then doubled their lead 15 minutes later as Dan Neil finished off a swift counter-attack.
Brandon Thomas-Asante pulled a goal back for West Brom with four minutes remaining to set up a nervy finish, but the hosts managed to hang on.
The victory lifts Sunderland into the play-offs, as they move up to sixth with 30 points from their 20 Championship games.
They are now just a place and two points behind West Brom in the table.
Sunderland put the refereeing error behind them before going on to beat West Brom
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