Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has taken stock of controversial moments from the weekend’s games, including the decision not to send off Ruben Dias in Manchester City’s match against Nottingham Forest.
Should Dias have been sent off at Man City?
Incident: Ruben Diaz avoided a second yellow card 18 seconds into the second half after being penalized by referee Rob Jones for a foul on Igor Jesus…
Dermot: I feel sorry for him (Sean Dyche) but I think this is his second yellow card. Diaz takes him down.
It doesn’t matter if it was an accident or not. That’s the second yellow card.
It was a promising attack.
Jay Bothroyd: Elsewhere on the field, this is a fortuitous challenge. I don’t think they should have given a yellow card, but coach Dermot explained that they were able to stop a promising attack.
I understand that part now. It was a promising attack, so he should have received a yellow card. Sean Dyche is right.
Should City’s winner have been refused entry?
Incident: Sean Dyche was not happy that Nico O’Reilly was not given a foul when he combined with Morgan Gibbs-White in the build-up to City’s late winner.
Dermot: There are two clues here. Gibbs-White pinned (O’Reilly’s) arm, causing O’Reilly to fall.
He himself had fallen. If anything, he fouled O’Reilly!
There were no fouls committed by City players, so there is no reason to disallow the goal.
Jay Bothroyd: I don’t think so here. He threw out his leg and tried to trick the referee into giving him a free kick. When Sean Dyche looks back on this, he will see Gibbs-White trying to fool the referee.
O’Reilly doesn’t even punish him, marking him from behind. He was grabbed by the arm and fell down. He got stuck.
Should Verbruggen have seen red for Brighton?
Incident: Bad Verbruggen was shown a yellow card for his challenge on Victor Gokeres, but could he have been shown a red card for his speed and recklessness rather than for denying a scoring opportunity?
Dermot: It was reckless, recklessness is a yellow card. He can’t get the ball, Gokeres is far from the goal, and it’s not a chance to score.
I couldn’t think of anything other than yellow.
Jay Bothroyd: I thought it was dangerous. Well done Gokeres, he knows he is the favorite to win. And Verbruggen clapped him.
It should be a red card because he doesn’t control it. It’s like[Mickey van de Ven’s]Isaac Challenge, where you throw yourself at the ball recklessly and you put your players at risk.
Why does a reckless challenge result in a yellow card? Is it getting out of control and putting players at risk? Again, the terminology confuses me.
It’s a red card challenge all day long.
Did Arsenal deserve a penalty for Jesus’ push?
Incident: Should Gabriel Jesus have been awarded a penalty following a challenge from Ferdi Kadioglu towards the end of the second half?
Dermot: This is solidarity, no foul at all. The players make contact, but it’s a contact sport.
Jay Bothroyd: I’ve been in that situation too. For me, Gabriel Jesus is the favorite to head that ball. They are not shoulder to shoulder.
Kadioglu nudged him from behind and he took a shot with his head. To me, it should be a penalty.
Should Chelsea have been awarded a penalty against Villa?
Incident: Should Chelsea have taken a penalty when they were winning 1-0 after the ball hit Ian Maassen in the arm? VAR Paul Howard ruled that the arm was in a natural position.
Dermot says: I’ve changed my mind. Saturday was all about handball, but two things worked in his favor.
I heard a crunching sound and thought it hit the top of my arm, so I closed my eyes.
Jay Bothroyd: That’s tough because I understand what Maasen is doing here. He thinks he will be beaten by his keeper. He closed his eyes and tried to punch his arm.
He’s lucky because Neto will put the goal in the back of the net. It has to give a penalty, he’s taking a penalty there and getting away with it.
He needs to be braver. It’s okay without Neto. But because of him, that should have been given to me.
Did Newcastle deserve a penalty against Manchester United?
Incident: The main talking point of Man United vs. Newcastle was the potential penalty for a handball by Lisandro Martinez. It was checked by VAR, but they upheld the on-field decision.
Martinez tucking defender Malik Tiau – explained by VAR as mutual contact – but does he still have his arm in an awkward position?
Dermot says: That’s the right decision. I don’t think the referee could see it, but it fell from the referee’s chest and into his arm.
It bounces off his arm. I think it will resonate with him.
Jay Bothroyd: I don’t think that’s definitive. The terminology confused me, they didn’t even say it touched his chest.
I don’t even know what “mutual contact” means. Martinez is wrestling. It looks like he was trying to push the defender away, and his hands are there, in an awkward position.
But if they said it hit his body and then his arm, we’re not having this conversation right now.
The terminology is confusing to me. They are digging a hole for themselves.
What to do about goalkeeper wasting time after game against Ramsdale at Old Trafford?
Incident: Manchester United started with a back four, but after nine minutes Aaron Ramsdale went down with a suspected injury. While he received treatment, Newcastle appeared to spend the time receiving tactical guidance.
Dermot says: Referees are victims because they have no authority. If the goalie goes down, you can no longer play without him.
It’s out of his hands.
Jay Bothroyd: There’s something going on there. If you hurt your hamstring, you can’t play for 90 minutes. I think it’s a toothache injury because you’re always kicking.
How do we get around that? I don’t know. Will players be removed accordingly?








