Ref Watch: Premier League and Old Firm weekend incidents analysed by former official Dermot Gallagher
8 April 2024, 09:44 | Updated: 8 April 2024, 18:12
Former referee Dermot Gallagher casts his eye over the controversial incidents from the weekend's Premier League and Old Firm action...
INCIDENT: Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka attempts to win the ball from Liverpool's Harvey Elliott inside the box, at the expense of a penalty.
DERMOT SAYS: "I think penalty if you make a challenge like this. The expectation from me was penalty. People say 'is there a lot of contact?' Well he dives in, he definitely makes contact.
"Has Elliott initiated contact? I think he's just stood his ground. My expectation was penalty and I think the decision is right."
STEPHEN WARNOCK SAYS: "I find it baffling. I've seen this all over social media - it's a lot of Man Utd fans saying it, suggesting there's no contact. They think it's not a penalty.
"One thing we always talk about is the reaction of the player. Wan-Bissaka doesn't argue it, no Manchester United player does. They all know it was a stonewall penalty."
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INCIDENT: Tottenham's James Maddison appears to strike Nottingham Forest's Ryan Yates in the stomach in an off-the-ball clash.
DERMOT SAYS: "This was really interesting because it got flagged by VAR. I listened to the VAR. Maddison had already got a yellow card and I thought it would be a very interesting decision.
"The VAR came to the decision, and I quote, 'no evidence of violent conduct'. That's his choice.
"What I will say is, the referee has to be guided by VAR because he doesn't see it. VAR doesn't send him to the screen so he doesn't see the incident again. If he did, who knows what decision he would make?
"I think Maddison is really lucky. If you do that on a football field and you get sent off, you haven't got a leg to stand on.
"The referee hasn't had a chance to look at it because of the VAR protocol. It hasn't met the threshold."
INCIDENT: Forest's Danilo catches Giovani Lo Celso with his studs after making contact with the ball.
DERMOT SAYS: "It's a yellow. He clearly gets the ball. He follows through but you can see he's trying to pull out.
"He gets a lot of the ball. I think the referee judges it really well. Yellow card for me."
INCIDENT: Max Kilman's late equaliser for Wolves was ruled out for offside as Tawanda Chirewa was judged to be interfering with West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski's eyeline.
DERMOT SAYS: "I can't see what the argument is really. He's in contact with the goalkeeper, he's directly in line with him, he's got to impact him, he's in an offside position.
"I don't think the goalkeeper has any chance of stopping the ball because he can't move. I think offside."
SUE SMITH SAYS: "I think this is a poor decision. I feel Fabianski can move. It's not like he's pinning him, he's just standing in front of him."
INCIDENT: Brighton's Tariq Lamptey trips Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus inside the box, giving away a penalty.
DERMOT SAYS: "My expectation was penalty when I saw it. If you look, he gets a little nick on the ball, no doubt about that.
"But he clatters Jesus. Jesus would still get onto the ball if you see from the right angle. It's a penalty."
SMITH SAYS: "I feel for Lamptey because he does get a touch on the ball but I do think it's a penalty. He's impeding Jesus from going forwards."
WARNOCK SAYS: "I don't think it's a pen. When you listen to the game, you can hear him hit the ball.
"I thought it was a clean challenge. I just think he's been punished for the continuation of the challenge."
INCIDENT: Sheffield United's Jack Robinson is only booked for a strong challenge on Chelsea's Cole Palmer.
DERMOT SAYS: "Not a nice tackle. I think he must be very, very high on the yellow card threshold.
"The referee thinks he's low but his other foot isn't. Cole Palmer gets up and smiles - it defuses it a lot. He's done him a big favour."
WARNOCK SAYS: "Really lucky boy. You are talking about endangering another player's safety and that's potentially a leg-breaker.
"He's lucky that Palmer knows he's coming into the challenge. If Palmer passes the ball static, he breaks his leg. It's a poor challenge from Jack Robinson."
INCIDENT: Burnley's Dara O'Shea is sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity at Everton.
DERMOT SAYS: "I thought it was harsh at the time. I look at it and thought, A: distance to goal; B: is he in possession of the ball? No; C: is he likely to get possession? Unlikely. The goalkeeper would have mopped that up."
STEPHEN WARNOCK SAYS: "I think VAR has let the referee down here."
INCIDENT: Celtic are awarded a penalty for handball by Rangers' Connor Goldson.
DERMOT SAYS: "Good intervention. The referee can't see it on field. Goldson lifts his arm and there's no doubt in my mind he puts his arm towards the ball.
"The referee goes to the screen and it shows the ball hits him on the elbow."
WARNOCK SAYS: "He lifts his arm high and it's handball. Goldson is thinking he's going to get a challenge so he's protecting himself.
"You don't jump with arms by your side but it's an error."
INCIDENT: Rangers' Fabio Silva appears to be in serious pain after being blocked off the ball by Celtic's Alistair Johnston, who receives a yellow card.
DERMOT SAYS: "This was an interesting situation. Has he been punched in the face?
"I think Alistair Johnston's arm is up to block Silva off. There is going to be a collision. He certainly doesn't commit an act of violent conduct."
SMITH SAYS: "There's no intention there. I agree with Dermot."
INCIDENT: Silva is booked for diving by the referee, before VAR advises the decision be overturned and a penalty be awarded for a foul by Johnston.
DERMOT SAYS: "This is a very interesting clip. He gets a yellow card for simulation but when you see it again, there is contact on the knee.
"It's a penalty. The referee then has an even bigger dilemma. There's pressure, he goes to the screen and gives a penalty.
"Then it ramps up because Johnston has already been booked. Rangers players are saying he should have a second yellow card. For me, it's a foul - it's not a second yellow.
"If he goes to the screen he has all options. The referee can opt to give him a second yellow but I don't think it's a yellow card challenge. It's just a foul."
WARNOCK SAYS: "This is where we want VAR to step in."
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(c) Sky Sports 2024: Ref Watch: Premier League and Old Firm weekend incidents analysed by former official Dermot Gallagher
