Ref Watch: Should West Ham's last-gasp equaliser vs Leicester have been ruled out? Should Paul Pogba have seen red?
Should West Ham's late equaliser at Leicester have been ruled out for handball? Should Paul Pogba have seen red in Man Utd's draw with Southampton? And should Chelsea have been awarded a late penalty in their 0-0 draw with Arsenal in the WSL? Former referee Dermot Gallagher has his say...
Monday 14 February 2022 19:22, UK
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher dissects the big flashpoints from the weekend's action, with a look at the key decisions in West Ham's 2-2 draw at Leicester and Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Southampton.
Leicester 2-2 West Ham
INCIDENT: Craig Dawson's last-gasp goal rescued a point for West Ham as they drew 2-2 at Leicester. The centre-back's equaliser in the first minute of stoppage time was forced in off his shoulder and - despite Leicester protests that it came off his arm - replays showed it was off the top of his sleeve and the goal was given, with VAR saying there was not enough evidence to overturn it.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "We talk about the red and the green, the capped sleeve and where does it go.
"The VAR felt there was enough on the sleeve. If you look at the incident, the ball strikes him on the arm, but it is the top of the arm.
"The argument is does it overlap both? It is a subjective decision and subjective is our favourite, topical word this year, but it was felt it was at the cap of the sleeve, so the goal was given.
"The on-field decision was goal, and it was thrown to VAR, and he decided to stick with the referee's decision. If we didn't have VAR, it would have still been a goal."
INCIDENT: A moment of madness from Aaron Cresswell gifted the Foxes a route back into the game as he inexplicably handled a James Maddison corner.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "Even I could have given this one. It was so blatant. He's gone to head the ball and then suddenly realises he's not heading the ball and it is almost like an instinctive arm out, but he definitely handles the ball."
- Match report and highlights - Leicester 2-2 West Ham
- How the teams lined up | Match stats
- Premier League table | Fixtures | Results
Man Utd 1-1 Southampton
INCIDENT: Paul Pogba tripped Tino Livramento before pushing Dale Stephens in the aftermath of the challenge. With Gabriel Martinelli's sending off for two bookable offences in quick succession in Arsenal's win at Wolves on Thursday, should Pogba have received two yellow cards and therefore a red?
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "In fairness, Gabriel Martinelli did chase the player 40 yards before he committed his second foul.
"You have to bear in mind every foul is not a yellow card. The referee did not judge the initial foul by Pogba as a yellow card. However, he did judge that his aggressive action towards Stephens was a yellow card.
"So, on balance, I think the decision is correct."
INCIDENT: There's a coming together in the Manchester United penalty area between Harry Maguire and Armando Broja, who was bundled over. The England defender's studs then caught Broja's leg as he looked to land, but no penalty was given.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "I didn't think this was a penalty. There is a coming together and one guy is stronger than the other, so, for me, that wasn't a penalty."
Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa
INCIDENT: Just after the half-hour, Newcastle were awarded a penalty when Calum Chambers clumsily tripped Joe Willock as he rampaged towards goal. After a moment's hesitation, referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot, although the decision was later downgraded to a free-kick on the edge of the area upon consultation with VAR Paul Tierney.
- Match report and highlights - Newcastle 1-0 Aston Villa
- How the teams lined up | Match stats
- Watch PL highlights and clips for free on Sky Sports
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "There are a number of issues here and I have so much sympathy with the referee because when I saw it at speed, I thought penalty straight away.
"Is it a foul? Yes, it's a penalty. I can fully understand why the referee gives a penalty.
That is VAR at its best. It’s a brilliant decision.
"When you go to VAR and look at it, he's a big toe outside the penalty area, and as he's not on the line it's a free-kick.
"So, I sympathise with the referee, but the VAR process was first class."
INCIDENT: Aston Villa thought they had levelled with an hour gone, but Ollie Watkins' strike was ruled out after he was adjudged to have strayed marginally offside following another VAR review.
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "This was so tight. They had to look at it, look at it and look at it again.
"This is probably the tightest decision I've seen all season and they tell me it is factually offside so therefore it is disallowed.
"It's unlucky for Ollie Watkins, and we have had a little bit of movement with the lines overlapping to favour the attacker, but on this occasion they didn't. They were just apart but that was as tight as you can get. It was the right decision."
WSL: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
INCIDENT: In the game's most controversial moment, Niamh Charles' cross deep into stoppage-time struck the outstretched arm of Leah Williamson, who was perhaps lucky none of the officials deemed the offence worthy of a spot-kick.
- Match report and highlights - Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
- How the teams lined up | Match stats
- WSL Fixtures | Table | Live on Sky Sports | Get Sky Sports
- WSL: Chelsea face West Ham, Man Utd vs Everton live on Sky Sports
What the managers said...
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes: "The best official in the league has missed the biggest decision tonight. Everybody knows… it happens. But I think they got away with that one. Beyond that, the game could have gone in either direction.
When asked if he had thoughts on Chelsea's late penalty claim, Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall told Sky Sports: "Yes I do. I also have my own thoughts about the situation with Caitlin Foord. It's the ref's decision. I think maybe that could have been a penalty against us. Maybe we should have had a penalty before. It goes both ways."
DERMOT'S VERDICT: "I think Leah Williamson has been as lucky as Rebecca Welch has been unlucky, because if you see her start position and the way she has fed through play, it is textbook. It's the perfect position to be but where she is unlucky is as Williamson jumps, her body blocks off her arm so the referee cannot see it.
"Her assistant also has a difficult view, so she is absolutely hamstrung. There is no way she can give that as a penalty because you cannot guess. If the assistant had been on the other side, she'd have seen it clearly and she'd have been able to help, but it's just a decision you have to accept that went west."
