FORMER Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher insists official Roger East was “the victim” after Abdoulaye Doucoure’s handball goal at Watford.
The Frenchman handled the ball into the net, costing Saints victory at Vicarage Road in the 90th minute in the 2-2 draw.
Gallagher, who refereed in the Premier League from 1992 to 2007, said to Sky Sports: “The referee [Roger East], I believe, is the victim here because he has no chance whatsoever.
“If you look where the player’s head is, he moves his head forward… and the only person who can clearly see that that is handball is the goalkeeper.
“When you look at it sideways on, when you see the head go forward you cannot be sure at that distance whether he has headed it or not.
“The only person who knows is the player himself and obviously the goalkeeper.”
Saints had gone 2-0 up at Watford thanks to a James Ward-Prowse brace.
Andre Gray made it 2-1 on 58 minutes, before Doucoure’s goal.
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