Soccer:The Premier League has ruled out replaying Sunderland's 1-0 win over Liverpool, despite Darren Bent's illegal 'beach ball' goal.

Bent scored the only goal of the game after his shot deflected in off an errant beach ball, thrown onto the pitch by a Liverpool fan.

Law Five of the game states that any 'outside agent' must be removed from the pitch, and the play started again with a drop ball.

However, the Premier League will not force the match to be played again, despite an obscure precedent.

For his part, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said after the match: "These things happen. It's a very technical question but it has to be a goal.

"These things can happen in a lot of games. It's a bad situation for us that the ball was in the middle and was influential but again I will say we didn't play well. That's the main thing for me.

"If the ball was going in and it was deflected wide, he would not have given the goal."

Meanwhile, Mike Jones, the referee that incorrectly allowed the goal to stand, is reportedly set to be punished for his error by being dropped from the Premier League programme next weekend.

Jeff Winter, a former Premier League referee turned pundit, said on Sunday: "I'm absolutely amazed. It is basic law in football. The goal should just not have stood.

"The laws of the game state that if there's an outside interference the game has to be stopped.

"Talk about an outside influence - the ball went in off the beach ball and completely deceived the Liverpool goalkeeper.

"I am absolutely amazed that for a referee at that level of football, that between him, his assistant, the fourth official, they didn't see what had happened and give the correct decision."