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Ref Watch: No foul on Christian Benteke against Crystal Palace, says Dermot Gallagher

Damien Delaney of Crystal Palace fouls Christian Benteke of Liverpool to concede a penalty during the Barclays Premier League
Image: Christian Benteke (R) fell in the box under a challenge from Damien Delaney

Ref Watch is back to debate another batch of controversial decisions from the weekend's football fixtures.

We've got yet another bumper edition this week as former top-flight referee Dermot Gallagher joined Rob Wotton in the Sky Sports News HQ studio to go through a number of contentious calls, not only in the Premier League but also an unusual incident in League Two

From questionable penalty decisions, two yellow card incidents and a bizarre disallowed goal, we have picked out eight incidents reviewed during Monday's Ref Watch.

Was your team affected by a contentious decision? Read on to find out...

MATCH: Crystal Palace v Liverpool, Sunday

INCIDENT: Penalty given to Liverpool in injury time. Referee Andre Marriner felt Damien Delaney made contact with Christian Benteke in the box and a penalty was awarded.

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Should Liverpool's injury-time penalty against Crystal Palace have been awarded? It was a decision hotly debated between Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry

SCENARIO: In the 94th minute, Delaney dived in on Benteke in the penalty box with the referee Marriner feeling there was enough contact to award a penalty.

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GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Wrong decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: A decision that has polarised opinion. I think no, but there are many people that think yes. I have watched this all the time and I think no, but what this does highlight to me is that if we have a video referee and we go to the video referee, we are still not going to get a decision that everybody is going to agree on. The reason I say that is that the two guys sat here - Neil McCann and Ray Parlour - spoke to me earlier and they are poles apart. One says 'penalty' and one says 'no'.

The law has to be applied from minute one to minute 90, there is no comfort zone for saying: 'It is 90+4 and you cannot give a penalty.'

MATCH: Crystal Palace v Liverpool, Sunday

INCIDENT: James Milner sent off for two yellow cards.

James Milner's second yellow card was given after a challenge on Wilfried Zaha
Image: James Milner's second yellow card was given after a challenge on Wilfried Zaha

SCENARIO: The first yellow card came in the 40th minute when James Milner went in late on Yohan Cabaye. The second yellow was given for a tough challenge on Wilfried Zaha just past the hour mark.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: I think he can have no complaints. The first tackle on Cabaye is just late and reckless and everybody expects a yellow card. It is just a tackle that every player is going to get a yellow card for in the Premier League in any match.

The second one he has gone in from behind to stop a counter-attack, he is reckless and gives the referee no alternative but to send him off. And unfortunately it is just a case of two mistimed tackles equals red.

MATCH: Tottenham v Arsenal, Saturday

INCIDENT: Francis Coquelin sent off for two yellow cards.

Coquelin's tackle on Kane saw him get sent off
Image: Coquelin's tackle on Kane saw him get sent off

SCENARIO: Coquelin brought down Eric Dier on the half-hour mark. The Frenchman was given a second yellow for a late tackle on Harry Kane on the touchline.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: Michael [Oliver] did not think [that he was fouled in the build-up to his first yellow], but what you can definitely say is that he committed a yellow-card offence. It is interesting as he went to play advantage and then came back to give a free-kick and quiet rightly yellow carded him. He has handled the ball and stopped the play.

His body tells you everything [for the second yellow] and unfortunately it is a decision Michael cannot not make.

MATCH: Tottenham v Arsenal, Saturday

INCIDENT: Possible foul by Eric Dier on Olivier Giroud after already being on a yellow card.

Eric Dier and Olivier Girous tussled near the halfway line
Image: Eric Dier and Olivier Girous tussled near the halfway line

SCENARIO: Giroud got past Dier but is then pulled back by the midfielder. It's a free-kick to Arsenal but no yellow card for Dier, who had already been booked.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Wrong decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: He pulls him back and stops a promising attack, so you cannot argue with that.

The second one he hauls him down and I have no idea why Michael did not send him off. I think everybody would expect to be sent off. What I would say is the thing to learn about for the referee is that if he had to stand here, I think it would be easier for him to explain sending off the player than to try defending not sending him off. I think that is the key issue here. I cannot give a case for not sending him off, but I can certainly give a case for sending him off.

MATCH: Tottenham v Arsenal, Saturday

INCIDENT: Hector Bellerin brings down Dele Alli when already on a yellow card

Hector Bellerin and Dele Alli were involved in a collision
Image: Hector Bellerin and Dele Alli were involved in a collision

SCENARIO: Alli is pulled back by the Arsenal right-back on the halfway line, but is not given a second yellow card

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: I think the first one is definitely right, without a doubt, as once he has gone past he is away and has an avenue to go in and has a good promising attack, and he has stopped it.

The second one I am not so sure about. It is on the halfway line, but is it stopping a promising attack? Is it breaking up a promising move? I think he is on the wing on the halfway line, and this is a case where there has to be a stepping process. And in this case that is pulling him over and saying: 'Listen this is your last chance.' Because at that point, he is not stopping a promising attack, it is not what I would say is a mandatory yellow card.

MATCH: West Brom v Manchester United, Sunday

INCIDENT: Juan Mata sent off after picking up two yellow cards for separate fouls on West Brom's Darren Fletcher.

Mata appears to make contact with Darren Fletcher, resulting in a yellow card for the Spaniard
Image: Mata appears to make contact with Darren Fletcher, resulting in a yellow card for the Spaniard

SCENARIO:  Booked for blocking a Darren Fletcher free-kick, then received a second yellow for another challenge on Fletcher just 26 minutes in.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: The first one he is delaying a restart. At the time, you never think of a second yellow, he is just taking one for the team.

The second one, it is life and no matter how nice a guy is - I once sent off Matt Le Tissier and you could not meet a nicer guy! - the law does not allow you to pick and choose. He has committed a second yellow card and unfortunately he has got to go.

MATCH: Everton v West Ham, Saturday

INCIDENT: Everton's Kevin Mirallas sent off for two bookings, the second one was a challenge on Aaron Cresswell.

Kevin Mirallas was sent off after receiving a second yellow for a foul on Aaron Cresswell
Image: Kevin Mirallas was sent off after receiving a second yellow for a foul on Aaron Cresswell

SCENARIO: Having already been booked for diving, Mirallas went in late on Aaron Cresswell as he tried to clear the ball. Red card was given in the 35th minute.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: For the first yellow, it was the right call. The good thing is the referee is in the right spot, so he has the perfect view. He has got an angled view so he can see and so he has got a better view than us as he is looking sideways on and can see there is no contact and he has yellow carded him for attempting to deceive him.

He has paid a heavy price for the first one and he has actually been sent off for the first one really, because for the tackle, he is going to get a yellow card every day of the week. But the first one could have been avoided. It is just instinctive really, he has gone for the ball and the referee has gone for his card.

MATCH: Everton v West Ham, Saturday

INCIDENT: Mohamed Besic blocks Dimitri Payet's shot in the box with his hand.

Mohamed Besic blocks Dimitri Payet's shot with his hand, but did he enough time to bring it back down?
Image: Mohamed Besic blocks Dimitri Payet's shot with his hand, but did he enough time to bring it back down?

SCENARIO: The ball is floated across the box to Payet, whose volley then strikes Besic's hand in the penalty area, but the referee gives no penalty.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: I think he is right. If you watch, he is so close, he has turned, it has come so fast, he has made no attempt to play the ball. But it comes back to every week we are talking about handballs. Handball to me is the new offside, it is every week we are looking at it, but I think that would be very, very harsh.

MATCH: Chelsea v Stoke, Saturday

INCIDENT: Erik Pieters on Oscar in the 79th minute after already being booked. No second yellow given.

Dermot Gallagher feels Erik Pieters should have got a second yellow card after fouling Oscar
Image: Dermot Gallagher feels Erik Pieters should have got a second yellow card after fouling Oscar

SCENARIO: Pieters looked to have kicked Oscar, claiming the Brazilian made too much of it afterwards. Clattenburg doesn't issue a second yellow.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: The first one was late and reckless. I think was is also good is that the assistant flags this as well as he has got the best view, which reinforces it.

I do not think the second one is a yellow card as he pulls out and does not go in recklessly. It is a foul and not every foul is a yellow card.

Match: Chelsea v Stoke, Saturday

INCIDENT: Oscar falls over in the box under a challenge from Marc Muniesa.

Dermot Gallagher feels Marc Muniesa's challenge on Oscar warranted a penalty
Image: Dermot Gallagher feels Marc Muniesa's challenge on Oscar warranted a penalty

SCENARIO: Oscar turns Muniesa in the penalty area, before being brought down by the Stoke defender, but referee Mark Clattenburg decides it is not a penalty.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Wrong decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: I think it is a foul and is in the penalty area. I think that should be a penalty, but for whatever reason the officials did not. Maybe the referee saw it from a different angle to me, I do not know, but from every angle I have seen Muniesa pushes over Oscar and he never once plays the ball.

MATCH: Southampton v Sunderland, Saturday

INCIDENT: Jose Fonte sent off for foul on Sunderland's Fabio Borini.

Jose Fonte was sent off for pulling back Fabio Borini
Image: Jose Fonte was sent off for pulling back Fabio Borini

SCENARIO: Saints skipper Fonte is sent off for pulling back Borini as the Sunderland striker runs clean through on goal in the 79th minute. A red card is issued.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Correct decision.

GALLAGHER SAYS: The only decision is, is it a foul? I do not think he has played the ball, but once the referee has given the foul, there is no choice and he has to go as it is denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. There is no doubt in my mind that if he is not fouled, the player gets free and goes on to have an attempt on goal.

The assistant referee did not give it, but maybe over the headset he has said to the referee… That is the one thing about the communication system that we see no tangible evidence. He may have said, he may not, but if he had flagged it would have reinforced the referee's decision.

MATCH: Wimbledon v Accrington Stanley, Saturday

INCIDENT: Accrington take the lead just seconds after the referee blows for half-time

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Referee Trevor Kettle blew for half-time just as Accrington's Billy Kee's shot hit the back of the net. Were Stanley hard done by?

SCENARIO: Accrington's Billy Kee appears to score the opening goal, but referee Trevor Kettle chalks it off as he blew for half-time just as Kee shot.

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: Technically a correct decision, but not one he would have made.

GALLAGHER SAYS: I can only put myself in that position and I think if I was in that position and I see a player turning in the box, I cannot be accurate to a split second when half-time is, so I do not think I would be blowing then. I think I would either blow long before he turns and shoots, or I would blow after he shot. I would not blow in the middle and you just see the furore it caused at half-time.

As you say, technically he is right, but I do not know how he can be so accurate and how he wants to risk such match control because you saw what unfolded afterwards and I think that is probably a very difficult second half to referee. 

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