Referee Mike Jones appeared to make an error by allowing Darren Bent’s goal for Sunderland against Liverpool to stand.

Bent’s strike deflected off a beach ball which had been thrown on the pitch by a Liverpool supporter, and it proved to be the winning goal at the Stadium of Light.

Fifa’s Laws of the Game indicate the goal should have been disallowed.

In a section titled ‘Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and guidelines for referees’, under the title ‘Powers and duties’, it is stated that “the referee stops, suspends or abandons the match because of outside interference of any kind”.

Given the beach ball should not have been on the field of play and was only there because it was thrown by a spectator, Jones could have disallowed the goal on those grounds.

Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter branded the decision to allow the goal “absolutely amazing”.

Jones conferred with his assistant but decided the goal should stand, helping Sunderland to a 1-0 win.

Winter told BBC Radio 5 Live: “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.”