Monday 15 August 2016 19:31, UK
The Premier League returned with a bang this weekend, and there were plenty of contentious incidents alongside a gripping set of opening fixtures.
Former top-flight referee Dermot Gallagher joined Tom White in the Sky Sports News HQ studio to go through the major talking points from the Premier League as well as a unique occurrence in the Sky Bet Championship.
So, from penalty appeals and offside goals to the introduction of this season's football law changes, here's the best of the first Ref Watch of the season...
INCIDENT: Wayne Rooney clashes legs with Andrew Surman inside the area and goes down. No penalty is given, and no yellow card for simulation.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: This is a good call to be honest. It's not a foul and it's not a dive. If you look closely, Rooney's knee clashes with Surman's.
The players have come together and Rooney has gone to ground - it's a natural reaction, it's not a foul. People have said Rooney should have been booked for simulation but it's definitely not a dive.
INCIDENT: Tom Huddlestone first makes contact with Demarai Gray outside of the area. Gray goes down in the area, penalty given.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.
DERMOT SAYS: When you look at it it is outside of the penalty area. It's a shame because it was in the opening game of the season and it was the only refereeing error in the game.
You can understand why Mike Dean has given it, it's so close to the edge of the area and Gray's next step take him into the box. I can understand the decision but, if we forensically diagnose the situation, it's a free-kick and not a penalty.
INCIDENT: Shay Given rushes towards the referee to contest a decision, and is booked for dissent.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: The referees have to continue issuing cards for this because it acts as a deterrent. We hope that by third weekend players will know the rule and the issue will have gone away, that is what we ideally want.
We don't want to see yellow cards for that, we want to see players taking responsibility and accepting the referee's call. The fact Given came so far and everybody saw him means he has no argument, particularly after the referee's visited clubs this summer informing them of the new law.
INCIDENT: Marko Arnautovic is given a free-kick, but swears in anger after the award. Yellow card given.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: This is the one everybody spoke about. If you speak quietly to a referee and air your displeasure at a decision then so be it.
But when you've told 20,000 people in the crowd that, then it's unacceptable. It must have been annoying for his manager, having seen his side win a free-kick but also saw his player receive a booking for something that can so easily be avoided.
INCIDENT: Ben Watson shown second yellow card for cynical foul on Shane Long.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: Watson can have no arguments with this one. Everybody knows how fast Shane Long is and he's got the beating of him, he's away.
Watson brought him down when he was in possession with a direct route to goal. It ticks all the boxes, it's outside the area so it avoids the triple-punishment rule so it's a red card. If it were in the penalty area it would have been a yellow card.
INCIDENT: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is brought down by Juan Camilo Zuniga inside the area. No penalty given.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: The angle from which the referee viewed the incident will convince you that it's not a penalty. At first sight you could think it is a penalty but from the other angle the player appears to fall.
When you see the player throw himself forward you can see why the referee is absolutely convinced it's not a penalty and waves the claim away.
INCIDENT: Nathan Redmond goal for Southampton ruled out for offside.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: I would never want to be an assistant referee. The thought of trying to get this right is unbelievable. It's an incredible decision from the linesman.
When you consider the distance Redmond is offside how he can see that with the naked eye so accurately is phenomenal. I have nothing but praise for Mark Scholes because it is so difficult to make that call. I don't think people watching at home realise how difficult it is.
INCIDENT: Referee Andre Madley can't find his cards as he goes to book Henri Lansbury.
DERMOT SAYS: The interesting thing with this is that he did give Lansbury a yellow, albeit verbally and not visually. What the incident has flagged up is that firstly referees have got to be able to access the cards in their pockets.
Secondly, with seven minutes left to play, nobody was aware except Lansbury and I think the referee should have told the fourth official to inform the bench that he had been booked.
If he had been booked again later nobody would have been aware of the initial yellow, so the referee could have informed the dugout and perhaps an announcement could have been over the PA system.
