Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett
Saturday 22 February Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Kevin Friend
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn
Chelsea opened up the scoring after a shot from Barkley hit the post and bounced out to Giroud who pounced on it to score. VAR checked for an offside in the build-up but correctly ruled that Giroud in the build-up to the goal was onside.
During this game, we saw Referee Oliver applying some dynamic sprints to ensure contact with the game.
Winks of Chelsea was correctly cautioned after stopping a promising attack by a Spurs player.
Chelsea scored a second early in the second half and in the 51st minute, we had one of the most controversial VAR incidents since the start of the season.
Referee Oliver was standing in midfield looking towards the Technical Area and was not in a position to see the deliberate stamping offence by Tottenham’s number 18 Giovani Lo Celso. It was a clear red card offence.
I was rather surprised that Fourth Official Kevin Friend (who was close to the incident) did not bring the incident to the notice of the referee.
However, the officials had the safety net of VAR. It was an easy call and my expectation was that a red card would be shown to the Spurs player.
I was amazed that VAR decided no offence had taken place. Within a minute of this taking place, the PGMOL issued a statement wrongly saying that Lo Celso had nowhere to put his feet.
I do not know who made that statement, but after a great deal of media comments from former players, the PGMOL then stated that it was a wrong decision the player should have been red-carded.
Frankly, you could not make it up that a group of officials at the elite level of our game could make such a mess of the VAR intervention!
Michael Oliver is our top referee and he (like others before him) should have used the pitchside monitor.
When Oliver officiates in UEFA games, that is the procedure that he adopts. The PGMOL management should hang their heads in shame for making such a mess of the delivery of VAR. This incident highlights why my refereeing colleagues around the world have a laugh at our expense.
PGMOL, if you are not going to operate VAR correctly to the IFAB protocols then bin it.
Saturday 22 February Burnley 3-0 Bournemouth
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Darren Cann, Mark Scholes
Fourth official: Tony Harrington
VAR: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant VAR: Daniel Cook
Bournemouth had an early goal ruled out for handball after VAR intervention. It looked a harsh call as the ball appeared to hit the shoulder rather than the hand or arm.
Burnley opened the scoring through Vydra and then in the 57th minute of the game, a long ball into the Bournemouth penalty area resulted in the home fans appealing for a penalty kick.
Whilst VAR were checking, the ball broke loose and Bournemouth scored. We then saw Referee Dean put his fingers to his ear and then the decision by VAR to rule out the goal and award a penalty kick.
Oh, am I glad that I am no longer donning my black shirt to have to give up the big decisions to someone a hundred miles away at Stockley park!
UEFA in the Champions League take an average of one minute thirty seconds to make VAR decisions and that includes a pitch-side monitor check.
I had the pleasure of visiting Burnley earlier in the year having written the forward to a book on Bob Lord, the former Chairman of Burnley.
Match Of The Day panel discussed the handball offences, feeling that the ball had struck the shoulder. Well, the hand/arm guideline is that where the shirt sleeve is stitched to the body of the shirt.
Burnley ran out three-nil winners.
Saturday 22 February Crystal Palace 1-0 Newcastle United
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistants: Ian Hussin, Harry Lennard
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Andy Madley
Assistant VAR: Adrian Holmes
This was Referee Bankes eighth game in the Premier League and in fairness, he delivered a good performance.
Lazaro of Newcastle United was correctly shown his second yellow followed by a red and the away team can have no complaints about losing. It was frankly a lethargic performance from them.
Saturday 22 February Sheffield United 1-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistants: Neil Davies, Derek Eaton
Fourth official: David Webb
VAR: Darren Bond
Assistant VAR: Simon Beck
This was easily the best refereeing performance from Graham Scott, who is building a reputation of a safe pair of hands. He reads the game really well and his interventions are well-timed. Scott remains calm and treats the players with respect.
The game was an entertaining one-one draw without controversy.
Saturday 22 February Southampton 2-0 Aston Villa
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: Richard West, Nick Hopton
Fourth official: Keith Stroud
VAR: Simon Hooper
Assistant VAR: Andy Halliday
Referee Pawson is having a good season to date and this was a performance where he demonstrated his improved fitness levels and good decision-making.
Villa had the ball in the net and it was correctly ruled out for offside, VAR running a check-over what was a good decision by the Assistant.
Southampton deservedly won this game 2-0 against a very poor Aston Villa.
Saturday 22 February Leicester City 0-1 Manchester City
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Gary Beswick, Constantine Hatzidakis
Fourth official: Jonathan Moss
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
The VAR was David Coote who, earlier in the day, had wrongly ruled that Spurs Le Celeso incident was not a red card. This was corrected by his boss at the PGMOL and Coote was now on his second game of the day.
Manchester City had an early scare when Leicester’s Vardy broke loose and his shot hit the post from a position where he usually finds the net.
In form referee, Paul Tierney was in charge of this game and it was good to see him ideally positioned to correctly award free-kicks to the home side for fouls by Manchester City’s defenders.
VAR was wrong to not advise that a penalty kick should have been awarded when Kevin de Bruyne had his arms up in the wall and James Maddison’s free-kick clearly hit them.
Even more mystifying than that was the decision to give Leicester a corner when Ederson took out Kelechi Iheanacho!
Manchester City had a shot on goal, with the ball striking the raised arm of a Leicester defender. City players surrounded the referee appealing for a penalty kick, which was awarded which Schmeichel saved.
Leicester City at this point must feel aggrieved given that in the first half, De Bruyne who was stood in the defensive wall, had raised his arms away from his body and amazingly no penalty-kick was awarded.
Manchester City later scored the winning goal through substitute Jesus
Sunday 23 February Manchester United 3 – 0 Watford
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistants: Lee Betts, Peter Kirkup
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger
There was a one-minute silence to honour Manchester United’s former goalkeeper and hero of the Munich disaster Harry Gregg.
The home side opened the scoring from a correctly awarded penalty-kick. Watford had the ball in the net which was correctly ruled out by VAR for handball. Manchester United scored a second goal and then Greenwood scored a third after been involved in the build up.
It was a good performance by referee Martin Atkinson.
Sunday 23 February Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 – 0 Norwich City
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Daniel Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official: Peter Bankes
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Marc Perry
VAR Michael Oliver was involved to check if there had been a handball before Wolves scored. He correctly judged NO to give Wolves a one – nil lead. They then went two goals up with VAR again correctly judging not offside.
Wolves scored a third, the first shot rebounding off the post for a Wolves player able to walk the ball in.
These are difficult times for Norwich City who are clearly lacking firepower up-front.
Sunday 23 February Arsenal 3 – 2 Everton
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistants: Adam Nunn, Simon Long
Fourth official: Simon Hooper
VAR: Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR: Stephen Child
There is no doubt that Referee Attwell is bang on-form and is currently showing many referees of the rewards you can achieve when you are fit and mobile.
His work-rate is first class and he is officiating with confidence. I was impressed by his no-nonsense approach, keeping risks to a minimum and judging challenges accurately.
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