Tuesday 18 October 2016 00:24, UK
Ref Watch is back to debate another selection of controversial decisions from some of the weekend's Premier League matches.
Former top-flight official Dermot Gallagher has been in the Sky Sports News HQ studio to analyse a number of contentious calls from weekend.
From debatable dismissals and dubious penalty decisions to unpunished horror tackles, pig protests and overzealous ball-boys, we have it all covered in this week's edition.
INCIDENT: Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka shown a straight red card for a reckless trip on Swansea winger Modou Barrow.
SCENARIO: Switzerland international Xhaka was given his marching orders by referee Jon Moss for blatantly tripping Barrow. No attempt was made to play the ball.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision
DERMOT SAYS: For me, this is the most interesting decision of the weekend because, hand on heart, my immediate thought was that this was a yellow card. But having seen it again it is a red card. The reason for that is because the player has no intention whatsoever to play the ball, he can't play the ball and his sole intention is to bring the man down. Barrow took no further part in the game after the challenge so for me it ticked all the boxes for a red card.
INCIDENT: Aaron Cresswell is booked for simulation following a challenge from Yohan Cabaye in the penalty area.
SCENARIO: Cresswell receives a yellow card after being adjudged to have dived by referee Martin Atkinson. Replays show there was contact between the two players.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.
DERMOT SAYS: Having seen the replays, Cresswell shouldn't have been booked. From Martin's angle he sees Cresswell go down dramatically but it's not simulation and, unfortunately, he gets a yellow card. Perhaps more unfortunate are the consequences that arise from that decision.
INCIDENT: Aaron Cresswell sent off for second bookable offence following collison with Wilfried Zaha
SCENARIO: Just 51 seconds after his booking for simulation, Cresswell is sent from the field for impeding Zaha. The incident was brought to referee Atkinson's attention by his linesman, who instructed him to issue a second yellow.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.
DERMOT SAYS: I don't think this is a yellow card offence, it's just a foul. A free-kick is enough but the problem is that the assistant, who has Zaha's body in his line of sight, hasn't seen things as clear as the replays show. He's alerted Martin to the incident and tells him to issue a second yellow, leaving Martin with nowhere else to go.
INCIDENT: Middlesbrough defender Antonio Barragan avoids a second booking moments after picking up a first.
SCENARIO: Having issued Barragan with a yellow card for tugging Isaac Success back, referee Roger East opted to keep his cards in his pocket 10 minutes later when the Spaniard committed the same offence on the same player.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.
DERMOT SAYS: I can't think of anybody I've spoken to that thinks Barragan shouldn't have been issued with a second yellow card. I cannot defend Roger here. Every referee is taught that if a promising attack is halted by a defender impeding an attacker it's a yellow card. I cannot defend him here.
INCIDENT: Burnley are awarded penalty a Southampton after Dusan Tadic is penalised for blocking Ben Mee.
SCENARIO: Mike Dean points straight to the spot after spotting Tadic impede Mee while the Burnley midfielder tries to reach a corner into the Southampton area.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: This reinforces what has happened since the start of the season. We've see the mandate that's been issued to warn clubs what will happen if these incidents happen. Whatever you saw about Mike Dean you cannot fault his consistency, we're eight weeks in and he's been as consistent as any referee. It's a foul, he's seen it and he's given a penalty.
INCIDENT: Seamus Coleman catches Raheem Sterling on the ankle with a rash challenge as the pair compete for possession.
SCENARIO: Sterling beats Coleman to the ball and ends up on the receiving end of a nasty studs-up challenge. The incident goes unpunished by referee Michael Oliver, although replays suggest his may have affected his decision.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.
DERMOT SAYS: This is a red card. The interesting thing from Michael's view is that Coleman doesn't look like he caught Sterling. It doesn't look as though he's caught him above the boot, you actually think he's caught him on the ground. That's what Michael has seen but you cannot hide away from the fact it's a very bad tackle and a red card but you can see how different angle can tell a totally different story.
INCIDENT: A Crystal Palace ball-boy enters field of play and places the ball for West Ham goalkeeper Adrian.
SCENARIO: Adrian is encouraged to stop time-wasting by an overzealous ball-boy at Selhurst Park. The incident is viewed in a good light and no action is taken by referee Martin Atkinson.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct handling.
DERMOT SAYS: In the laws of the game there is nothing wrong with this. The ball-boy has just brought the ball back, placed it for Adrian, it's quite comical. It's all part of the fun of football, we want to see great games with passion but you still want to see a little bit of humour.
INCIDENT: Saturday's League One clash at The Valley was halted for six minutes immediately after kick-off following a protest from both sets of fans.
SCENARIO: Thousands of toy pigs were thrown onto the field of play by Charlton and Coventry fans, united in protest against their respective owners. The referee withdrew the players from the pitch while the clean-up operation took place before resuming the game.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct handling.
DERMOT SAYS: I can't fault the referee for his handling of this situation. He took the players off the field for six minutes, allowing the pitch to be cleared. It's not a good thing for the referee because his concentration will have been affected, he will have had to remember how the game was stopped, which way he intends to restart the game while keeping the players happy at the same time.
