Ref Review: And the referee at Old Trafford said no penalty…

It was bad decision after bad decision on matchday 12 of the Premier League and Arsene Wenger was not moaning this weekend.

 

Refereeing decisions are regularly the source of debate among fans, pundits, players and managers so this season a five-strong TEAMtalk panel will be passing judgement on every red card (or avoidance of one), every penalty and any other major incident every matchday.

We’ll also decide on a weekly basis which side can consider themselves lucky and which was the easiest decision for a match official to make.

 

Arsenal first goal against Tottenham

It seems you can’t keep Mike Dean out of the headlines. A frenetic north London derby and the venerable old whistler had a mare in the first half. That was never a free-kick against Davinson Sanchez in a million years in the build up to Arsenal’s first goal. And to add insult to injury (if you are a Spurs fan) Shkodran Mustafi was offside before putting Arsenal in front. Desperately poor decision from Dean, and a raging Mauricio Pochettinho said afterwards: “It is not one mistake, it was two. It was a foul and it was offside. It was very clear.”

Arsene Wenger was moaning last week after the defeat at Man City; he will not be moaning this week. Maybe decisions do even themselves out?

Verdict: Incorrect decision

 

Vincent Kompany yellow card v Leicester City

After getting a couple of favourable calls against Arsenal they got another one on Saturday. There was a a massive call after just three minutes at the King Power and Kompany was very, very fortunate not to get a red card. Jamie Vardy was blatantly hacked down when through on goal after a cynical lunge by the City skipper. “Off, Off, Off” screamed the home fans but the big Belgian somehow only ended up with a yellow. The only possible mitigation for the referee was the fact John Stones covering Kompany may have saved him from a red. Mighty contentious however and the general consensus afterwards was Kompany should have been dismissed.

Verdict: Incorrect decision

 

Bournemouth first goal v Huddersfield

The Terriers were ultimately well beaten by the Cherries but they have a case that Bournemouth’s opening goal should not have stood. Callum Wilson climbed well to nod home from Jordan Ibe’s cross but in the build up Charlie Daniels almost cut Florent Haderjgonaj in two after a wild lunge. Ref Lee Probert was well placed but bizarrely declined to call the foul. It was a shocking challenge and you could tell by Daniels’ body language he was as stunned as anyone not to be carded for it.

Verdict: Incorrect decision

 

Simon Francis red card v Huddersfield

The big Bournemouth skipper, lucky not to be dismissed against Newcastle before the international break, could not really grumble about his red card on Saturday after picking up two cautions. Francis protested to Probert after the second yellow but they were both blatant cautions and he had to go.

Verdict: Correct decision

 

Everton penalty v Crystal Palace

Roy Hodgson was raging after Everton were awarded a controversial penalty at Selhurst Park, insisting Oumar Niasse’s tumble in the box was a “dive”. Ref Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot insisting Scott Dann had blocked off Niasse’s run as he made his way into the area. To be fair to Hodgson and Palace the exaggerated tumble was straight out of the WWE and it was a pretty scandalous decision on reflection.

Verdict: Incorrect decision

 

Manchester United penalty appeal v Newcastle United

In the end the Red Devils ran out easy winners but if they hadn’t claimed all three points Romelu Lukaku’s first-half penalty appeal would have been the main talking point at Old Trafford. With the score at 1-1 Lukaku nearly had his shirt pulled over his head by a Ciaran Clark  but the referee was unmoved. Replays confirmed it was definitely a foul.

Verdict: Incorrect decision

 

Pedro Obiang yellow card v Watford

Obiang had a torrid afternoon against the Hornets and was hooked early by new boss David Moyes, but not before collecting a yellow card for raking his studs down the back of Will Hughes’ Achilles. A genuinely naughty challenge from the Spaniard and a yellow all day long.

Verdict: Correct decision

 

Andy Carroll ‘elbow’ v Watford

Just six seconds into his Premier League debut and Marvin Zeegelaar was flattened by a flailing Carroll elbow as the big Geordie went up to win a header by the touchline. The Dutchman was left with a bloodied nose but Carroll didn’t even get a talking to from the ref. On another day he might have walked as it was a reckless and dangerous challenge.

Verdict: Incorrect decision

 

Team most likely to feel brassed off award

Leicester City

The Foxes knew they were up against it when in-form City rolled into town but they will argue they should have been playing against 10 men after Kompany’s foul on Vardy. The Leicester striker was through on goal and the rules dictate that Kompany should have been heading for an early bath. He didn’t, and Pep Guardiola’s men went to on record a rather routine 2-0 victory.

 

Stonewall decision of the week

Simon Francis red card

Francis – who bloodied the eye of Wayne Rooney with a stray elbow earlier in the season -has been walking a disciplinary tightrope for a while now but saw red on the stroke of half-time at the weekend after picking up two yellows in quick succession for fouls on Huddersfield’s lively Rajiv van La Parra. Even Cherries boss Eddie Howe said afterwards he felt the referee “ended up making the right call”.