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Ref Watch: Watford's stoppage-time equaliser against Liverpool offside, says Dermot Gallagher

Miguel Britos equalises late in the game at Vicarage Road
Image: Should Miguel Britos' late equaliser against Liverpool at Vicarage Road on Saturday have stood?

Ref Watch returns to debate a number of the weekend's controversial talking points from the opening round of Premier League fixtures.

Former top-flight official Dermot Gallagher has been in the Sky Sports News studio to give his view on several incidents from the last three days' action.

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Red cards, offside goals, handballs and pushing referees all feature in this week's edition...

Watford 3-3 Liverpool

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Watford v Liverpool Incident

INCIDENT: Miguel Britos equalises in stoppage time at Vicarage Road.

SCENARIO: The Watford defender bundles the ball over the line to rescue a point for his side, despite appearing to be in an offside position.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Wrong decision.

DERMOT SAYS: It is amazing as when watching the game, you thought he was clearly offside and the goal would be ruled out. But when you see it side on, this is a tough, tough call. It is offside, but it is not as clear as everybody made out at the start. How it went across Mignolet playing the ball up, the assistant had a tough call to make and unfortunately he called it wrong.

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Newcastle United 0-2 Tottenham

INCIDENT: Jonjo Shelvey is sent off for stamping on Dele Alli.

SCENARIO: The Newcastle midfielder is shown a straight red card by referee Andre Marriner for a stamp on Alli's ankle.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: The pictures are quite damning and it is clear for all to see. What was interesting was when I saw the original tape, you saw the foul and I thought it was a foul on Dele Alli, and then Shelvey came in and got involved. And I thought he had sent off the wrong player. But when you see the pictures, you can see why he sent him off, as it is quite clear that he stamped on him.

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Stupidest red card ever?

INCIDENT: Harry Kane is booked for a tackle on Newcastle's Florian Lejeune.

SCENARIO: The Newcastle defender is the victim of a lunging challenge on the touchline from Kane, with the debutant forced to leave St James' Park with his ankle in a protective boot.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: That is what I would call a high-tariff yellow card. It is getting close to a red card, but it is not quite there. He has got a little touch on the ball, which does not negate what he has done, he has scissor tackled him - it is a tackle that the professionals, managers and players do not like, but in most cases referees go for a yellow. It was not nice and he ended up on crutches after the game and again, that plays its part, people look back and say that. But the referee can't take that into consideration at the time.

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Newcastle v Tottenham Incident

Chelsea 2-3 Burnley

INCIDENT: Gary Cahill is dismissed following a late tackle on Steven Defour.

SCENARIO: The Chelsea captain is given a straight red by referee Craig Pawson after losing control of the ball, before going in late with a studs-up challenge on the Burnley midfielder.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: This is what referees are taught when they are young. Cahill's touch is a little bit heavy, the ball runs away and the player makes that extra lunge and that is what Craig has seen. He has seen that he is endangering the safety of an opponent and has red carded him. It is one of those I was not surprised with at all. I can understand fully why he has given it.

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Cahill’s controversial red

INCIDENT: Cesc Fabregas is sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

SCENARIO: The Spaniard's first booking was for sarcastically clapping the referee after he gave Burnley a free kick, while his second caution was for a late tackle on Jack Cork.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Both correct decisions.

DERMOT SAYS: The clubs have been told this and referees have been into nearly all of the 20 clubs at the moment and spoken about this kind of thing. And when you look back at the next tackle, he actually pays for this tackle with the first yellow card, which could have well been avoided. He was right to go for a yellow card (for the tackle, rather than a straight red) - it is a one-footed tackle, he has gone in with one foot and caught Cork across the base of the ankle and it is a second yellow card.

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Fabregas’ silly bookings

Arsenal 4-3 Leicester City

INCIDENT: Mesut Ozil appears to use his hand to control the ball in the build-up to Aaron Ramsey's equaliser.

SCENARIO: The Germany international brings the ball down with the use of his arm moments before Arsenal win a corner, from which they draw level against the Foxes.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Wrong decision.

DERMOT SAYS: The answer is yes (it was handball), but what you would say is nobody has seen it. I think there are a couple of issues here - no Leicester players saw it and it did not result in a goal. And that has to be made clear because this move went on and it went for a corner, and they did not even score from the corner because the corner was cleared. So the goal did not result directly from that decision.

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Did Ozil handball?

Brighton & Hove Albion 0-2 Man City

INCIDENT: Gabriel Jesus has a goal ruled out for handball.

SCENARIO: The City forward uses his arm just before bundling the ball in the net in the first half.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: You have to disallow it. We spoke in the summer about how it is not acceptable to score a goal with your hand. And you can see quite clearly that he does score with his hand, he brings his arm forward and it has got to be disallowed as it is not permissible.

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Jesus’ disallowed double

INCIDENT: Gabriel Jesus has a goal disallowed for offside.

SCENARIO: Jesus has another goal chalked off in the second half after David Silva is deemed offside just before squaring for the Brazilian to net.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Impossible to call.

DERMOT SAYS: You look at that and I could not make up my mind - you freeze frame it and think, 'how tight is that?' All I would say is that when you freeze it, the first player he would see is Silva, he would not have seen the defender behind. But it is an impossible job.

Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid

INCIDENT: Cristiano Ronaldo is sent off after getting booked twice at the Nou Camp.

SCENARIO: The Real forward's first caution was for removing his shirt while celebrating his equaliser, while the Portugal international was then yellow carded again for simulation.

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DERMOT'S VERDICT: The referee could have avoided having to send him off.

DERMOT SAYS: It is not a penalty. There are sometimes three options here - if a player goes down and he is clearly challenged like that, people go, 'It's a penalty, or it's a dive'. I think the third option is do nothing. And I think in that situation, if the referee had just gone, 'goal kick,' nobody would have minded.

If that happens in England (pushing a referee), it is a six-match ban.

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After scoring a stunning goal for Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, Cristiano Ronaldo then received a second yellow card for diving and pushed the referee before leaving the pitch

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