EFL releases statement following goal-line controversy during Blackpool's win at Huddersfield Town

Referee John Busby failed to award the home side a goal during the second half when Yuta Nakayama bundled the ball home from close range.

Replays showed the ball clearly crossed the line despite Dan Grimshaw’s best efforts to claw it out.

But because the referee’s watch didn’t signal a goal, Busby allowed play to continue.

It was a pivotal moment in the game as Michael Appleton’s side saw out the remainder of time to claim a hard-earned 1-0 victory.

“The EFL is incredibly frustrated that a technology failure has overshadowed a fantastic weekend of action on the pitch,” the EFL said in a statement.

“We have now received an initial assessment from Hawk-Eye, the providers of the Goal Line Technology service in the Championship, that during a second-half incident with Huddersfield attacking, the match officials did not receive a signal to their watch or earpiece as, due to multiple factors, the ball was no longer being tracked following it entering the Blackpool goal area.

“Separately, PGMOL have confirmed officials were unsighted due to obstruction by players and therefore unable to award a goal.

“While the system was tested and functional prior to the start of the game, further information is expected from both Hawk-Eye and PGMOL following a full review of the incident.

“Technology is there to support the decision-making processes of match officials in the Championship and it failing in such a manner on Sunday is a matter of great concern.

“For clarity, the referee’s decision is final and the match result stands.”

Huddersfield released their own statement expressing their frustration over the incident.

"In our view, this incident was a clear failure of the Hawk-Eye goal-line technology system,” the Terriers said.

“The club welcomes a full investigation into how this occurred, as it clearly needs to be prevented from happening again for the integrity of the competition going forward.

“However, we remain incredibly frustrated as this investigation and acknowledgement does not help us at all regarding Sunday’s result. At a time where everyone at the club is working tirelessly to secure points and climb the division, we have been let down badly by this system.”