Brentford’s Nathan Collins was lucky not to see red against Manchester United, said Dermot Gallagher on Ref Watch, as Jay Bothroyd described the decision not to send him off as “baffling”.
It was another busy weekend of incidents in the Premier League and beyond, with the Collins red, as well as the Viktor Gyokeres and Nick Pope penalty incident among a raft of decisions analysed on Sky Sports News.
Read on for Gallagher and Bothroyd’s thoughts on the weekend’s action…
Brentford 3-1 Man Utd
Highlights from Brentford’s match against Manchester United in the Premier League
INCIDENT: The decision was made not to send off Collins after he conceded a penalty. VAR checked the yellow card shown to Collins after a penalty was given, but they agreed with the referee’s decision with Bryan Mbuemo deemed to be not in control of the ball.
DERMOT SAYS: “Nathan got really, really lucky. The VAR would have looked at it and decided Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball.
“Nathan panics. He pulls his shirt and if he doesn’t do that, Mbeumo, who got a touch to the ball, would have got it. He’s got a clear goalscoring opportunity eight yards out.
“They looked at it, looked at it and looked at it. I have a theory that your gut takes over. You look at a replay and you make up your mind. The more you look at it, the more you doubt yourself.”
Kris Boyd and Mike Dean were in total agreement that Brentford should have had a man sent off against Manchester United when Collins gave a penalty away for his foul on Mbeumo
Jay Bothroyd on Ref Watch: “It baffles me. Mbeumo is not in control of the ball because he’s not going to control it.
“He’s going to hit that first time. The pace is on the cross and all he is going to do is redirect the ball towards the corner.
“He’s not going to control that in a million years.”
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Dermot takes a closer look at the big talking points from the Super Sunday match between Newcastle and Arsenal
INCIDENT: VAR Darren England intervenes after referee Jarred Gillett awarded a penalty to Arsenal after Nick Pope appeared to foul Viktor Gyokeres. The referee changed his mind after looking at the screen and overturned the decision.
DERMOT SAYS: “It shows how difficult it was with Gary Neville going from being adamant it was a penalty to being torn when he sees it again.
“Pope does get a touch on the ball. My immediate instinct was penalty… but Pope does plant his foot so he doesn’t follow through with the tackle so that’s why it was overturned.
“This year, they’ve tried to stick with the on-field decision as much as possible, but once the VAR looks at it, he’s decided that Pope has played the ball – that’s the key factor.
“He’s sent the referee to the screen but he can still hold his ground. He can still say it’s a penalty. Referees take everything into consideration – where the ball is going, the direction of play, would the player have got it?”
After a VAR review the decision of a penalty to Arsenal was overturned
On the similarities with the Robert Sanchez incident from the previous weekend: “It was different. He touches the ball and follows through with the tackle… with the Pope one, he touches the ball but he plants his foot and does no more.
“Pope does not go into Gyokeres. He’s stopping.”
Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez was sent off five minutes into the game at Man Utd
INCIDENT: Newcastle’s appeals for a penalty for handball against Gabriel were turned down by Gillett. VAR checked the incident but stuck with the on-field decision.
DERMOT SAYS: “This is a really interesting decision.
“The rule is that if the ball strikes your body and flies up onto your arm, it’s not going to be given because it is not possible to get out of the way.”
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Newcastle United’s match against Arsenal in the Premier League
INCIDENT: Gabriel also escaped punishment after a clash with Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade.
DERMOT SAYS: “Gabriel is lucky he doesn’t actually strike Woltemade properly.
“Where he is lucky is the referee hasn’t seen it. It’s gone to VAR and they don’t think it’s a red card. I don’t think it’s a red card.
“The referee has seen something has happened and what he does well is he calms them down and takes the sting out of the incident.”
Chelsea 1-3 Brighton
Jay and Dermot discuss why Trevoh Chalobah’s red card against Brighton was the correct decision
INCIDENT: Trevoh Chalobah was sent off after a VAR review for the denying of a goalscoring opportunity with a foul on Diego Gomez.
DERMOT SAYS: “I wonder whether Simon Hooper initially thought he caught him with his shoulder, but he’s definitely tripped him.
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Chelsea’s match against Brighton in the Premier League
“Gomez got across the defender and he’s in the ascendancy. Once he’s got there, the defender clips him and it’s a red card.”
INCIDENT: VAR said no penalty as Malo Gusto’s boot looks to have made contact with Yankuba Minteh’s head.
DERMOT SAYS: “I think penalty. Once you raise a foot that high, you run a massive risk. He catches him.
“VAR looked and said there’s no conclusive evidence that he’s caught him.”
Chelsea’s Malo Gusto escaped red for a high-boot challenge on Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh as the on-field referee and the VAR officials both rejected the Seagulls’ penalty claims, much to the Soccer Saturday panel’s disbelief
Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool
INCIDENT: There was a long check on Liverpool’s equaliser. Federico Chiesa was the scorer, but VAR looked at whether Mo Salah had handballed it in the process and eventually ruled the goal out.
DERMOT SAYS: “I honestly don’t know about this one. I usually have a gut reaction when I look at a replay and then I make up my mind.
“I’ve looked at this again this morning, I looked yesterday and on Saturday, and I still can’t tell if he’s handled the ball.
Ref Watch takes a closer look at the two big talking points from Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win at home to Liverpool – should Palace’s opener have stood and did Mo Salah handle the ball in the lead-up to Liverpool’s equaliser?
“In that case, unless you are convinced he’s handled the ball, play on.”
Bothroyd on Ref Watch: “I think it’s handball. I’ve seen different angles, I’ve seen it slowed down, and it looks like it has hit his hand.
“It even looks like it has put off the defender. He’s not able to get a full head on the ball and that’s how you can tell it has hit his hand. Liverpool got away with one.”
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Crystal Palace’s match against Liverpool in the Premier League
INCIDENT: Crystal Palace’s first goal came from a corner awarded in error – it should have been a goal kick. Why can’t VAR intervene?
DERMOT SAYS: “The referee doesn’t see it because he’s behind the play and he doesn’t see it strike (Tyrick) Mitchell, with the assistant on the other side and that’s why it’s unlucky.
“This probably happens once a game that something goes the wrong way but it becomes vocal because it leads to a goal.
“That’s the referee’s lot. It’s not always the decision you make but the consequences of those decisions.”
Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham
FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Aston Villa’s match against Fulham in the Premier League
INCIDENT: When Fulham were 1-0 up, Josh King went down in the box after contact from Emi Martinez and was booked for diving for a second consecutive week.
DERMOT SAYS: “This is another tough decision because I don’t know why the player pushes it one way and tries to go round the other.
“It’s a tough call for the referee. If he doesn’t give a penalty, I don’t know why he’s played on because I don’t think he’s dived.”
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