Gillett causes controversy in Burnley comeback
Australian referee Jarred Gillett was once again at the centre of controversy as Championship leader Burnley came from behind to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 on Saturday (AEDT).
Gillett made several key decisions in the match, but none more crucial than that to award Burnley a free-kick just on the edge of the box in the 87th minute with the scores locked at 1-1.
Replays showed Clarets player Josh Cullen hadn't been fouled but rather kicked the turf to lose his footing inches from inside the box. The free-kick was awarded and Scott Twine slotted it into the top corner to grab all three points for the home side.
Gillett had earlier chosen not to give Burnley a penalty when Nathan Tella went down after a jinking run into the box. WHile that was arguably a correct decision, Burnley's players were furious, surrounding the Australian demaning a spot-kick while manager Vincent Kompany also fumed on the sidelines.
West Brom went ahead early when Darnell Furlong headed home a delivery from a corner in the seventh minute. While Burnley created numerous chances to equalise before the break and hit the woodwork twice, it wasn't until the 75th minute that it drew level when Tella broke free and scored with his right foot.
Burnley continued to push for the winner, and made the most of Gillett's arguably errant decision to award the free-kick, Twince curling a perfect shot into the top left corner to send Clarets fans wild and reestablish the home side's fiv-point lead at the top of the table over Sheffield United.
