Plus: Dermot Gallagher, Jay Bothroyd and Sue Smith discuss whether Conor Gallagher should have been awarded a penalty in Chelsea's defeat against Wolves, whether Luton deserved a spot-kick in their draw at Newcastle and Philip Billing's red card against Nottingham Forest
Monday 5 February 2024 16:35, UK
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher dissects the flashpoints from the weekend's football, including Ibrahima Konate's sending off for Liverpool against Arsenal and Everton's Beto being denied a penalty in the draw with Tottenham...
INCIDENT: Ibrahima Konate was sent off for two yellow cards against Arsenal - the first for pulling down Kai Havertz and the second for a block on the same player.
DERMOT SAYS: "Can he have any complaints? I'd say no.
"The first one, he wrestles him to the ground. On another day, if [Virgil] van Dijk hadn't been back, was he denying him a goal-scoring opportunity? Certainly a yellow card.
"For the second one, Havertz doesn't do himself any favours [clutching his head] but he deliberately blocks him off."
JAY BOTHROYD SAYS: "I'm not sure about the first one. The players are coming together. He's pulled him slightly but I'm not sure if that's a yellow.
"The second one, definitely."
INCIDENT: Alexis Mac Allister bumps into Kai Havertz and knocks him down in the box but no foul is given.
DERMOT SAYS: "The referee has got the best view. He waves it away straight away.
"I think Havertz comes across him and almost puts his legs between Mac Allister's and that's where they tangle and come together.
"Once the ref has said no, VAR will never get involved."
SUE SMITH SAYS: "I thought it was decent defending."
INCIDENT: Bournemouth had Philip Billing sent off for catching Callum Hudson-Odoi on the heel.
DERMOT SAYS: "Red card. Referee Rebecca Welch is in a really good position.
"I don't think Billing means to do that - I think he goes to break up a promising attack but gets it wrong. He does get it wrong because he rakes down the Achilles. It's not nice.
"I think he's gone to trip him. One of the criteria for a sending off is seriously endangering the safety of an opponent. The player had to leave the field and couldn't continue."
INCIDENT: Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert - on a booking already - caught Nicolas Dominguez but avoided a second yellow card.
DERMOT SAYS: "Whether the ref is too close and doesn't see it, I'm not sure. She hasn't got the best view. I think he's lucky..."
JAY BOTHROYD: "I think he should have got another yellow for that."
INCIDENT: Conor Gallagher appealed for a penalty when he was challenged by Mario Lemina.
DERMOT SAYS: "I wasn't convinced by this. Not for me. He's stretching and he's off-balance, feels a little bit of contact and goes down. I'd be surprised if that was given."
BOTHROYD SAYS: "If that was in the centre of the pitch, would it be a foul?"
DERMOT SAYS: "It wasn't in the centre of the pitch, was it? I don't do hypotheticals."
BOTHROYD SAYS: "I want to see consistency. I want to see the same kind of fouls I see on the halfway line, is the same kind of fouls I see in the box. In the middle of the park that would be a foul."
INCIDENT: Wolves were awarded a penalty when Chelsea's Malo Gusto slid in on Matheus Cunha.
DERMOT SAYS: "He didn't get a touch. He's mis-timed it."
INCIDENT: Newcastle's Dan Burn pulled back Luton's Chiedozie Ogbene. It was originally given as a foul outside the area but VAR decided the incident happened inside the box and advised to award a penalty.
DERMOT SAYS: "He pulls him back there and it's also a clip on the ankle. I think it's good use of VAR and also it highlighted something as well - because the referee gives the foul, he wasn't sent to the screen.
"The only decision is, was it inside the area or outside the area?"
INCIDENT: Luton complained of a foul on Ross Barkley in the build-up to Newcastle's equaliser.
DERMOT SAYS: "The referee has the best view, he says no and the game goes on. I don't think it's a foul."
SMITH SAYS: "I think he wins the ball. I think it's a good challenge."
INCIDENT: Radu Dragusin shoved Beto in the final stages of the game but again no foul was given.
DERMOT SAYS: "Referee didn't fancy it. The referee clearly waves it away, so what he feeds back [to VAR] is I don't think there's enough contact.
"The VAR can only intervene if they think he's made a clear and obvious error. I don't think it's a penalty."
SMITH SAYS: "He would surely just go to head the ball if he's not fouled. There must be a foul. You can see he's pulling his shirt."
BOTHROYD SAYS: "It's cute play from the defender. He's nudged him and pulled his shirt to put him off, so he wasn't able to go and jump for it. I think that should have been a penalty."
INCIDENT: Everton's Jack Harrison challenged Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from a corner before deflecting in Dominic Calvert-Lewin's header. Should he have been punished for a foul on the 'keeper?
DERMOT SAYS: "I didn't think it was a foul. This was the third corner they'd had and put every one in like this.
"I also didn't think it was offside, like a lot of people claimed, because the goalkeeper and Richarlison are on the line."
INCIDENT: Brennan Johnson challenged James Garner in the Tottenham box but no foul was given.
DERMOT SAYS: "He clearly waves it away, he's got the best view.
"There's contact but is it a foul? He says 'no' and I would agree with him."
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