Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett
FRIDAY 6TH NOVEMBER
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION V BURNLEY RESULT 0-0
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Ian Hussin, Dan Robathan
Fourth official: John Brooks
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Stephen Child
Mike Dean is one of the most consistent referees in the group, he delivers first class performances week in, week out. Even though he is the oldest referee, he moves around the field of play which is great credit to the work that he does away from the field.
SOUTHAMPTON V NEWCASTLE UNITED RESULT 2-0
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistants: Neil Davies, James Mainwaring
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
Referee Peter Bankes is establishing himself as a reliable and consistent official. Key decisions when you get them right are a great boost to confidence. He was in a great position early on in this game to correctly turn down appeals by Southampton. With this performance I would have no hesitation in appointing him to another game in Week 9.
SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
EVERTON V MANCHESTER UNITED RESULT 1-3
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Andy Madley
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis
Paul Tierney and his team of officials can be very satisfied with their performance. Perhaps the detection of a push on Pickford by United’s Maguire might have been noticed and punished.
CRYSTAL PALACE V LEEDS UNITED RESULT 4-1
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Dan Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official: David Coote
VAR: Mike Dean
Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin
“The decision is simply wrong” Former PGMOL boss Keith Hackett confirms VAR was wrong to disallow Patrick Bamford’s goal vs Crystal Palace.
It is yet another weekend where VAR has made a dreadful decision to rule out a goal, and it really does make you wonder when something is going to change.
Patrick Bamford scored a well-taken goal to bring Leeds level against Crystal Palace but it was remarkably ruled out for offside by VAR:
There are a lot of things to take issue here in terms of the camera angle and the lines used on the screen, but the biggest issue is that there’s no part of Bamford’s body that he can legally score with which is offside.
“These decisions are ruining the game and too many good goals are being ruled out. This is the perfect example when we know the decision-making process is using imperfect technology.
“Law 11 states that it’s offside if any part of head, feet, or body is nearer to the opponent’s goal than both the ball and the second last opposition player.
“The hand/arm that looks to be ahead of the defenders is NOT a part of the body that can score. I have looked at this incident on several occasions and the decision is simply wrong.
“I would urge PGMOL to bin those lines and rely on skill sets of the officials to make the call.”
Hackett was also keen to point out that the on-field officials do not have anything to do with the VAR review for offside, so this decision was made by VAR official Mike Dean and the assistant VAR Ian Hussin. Both were officiating Brighton v Burnley the previous night.
Neither official had been able to carry out an appropriate recovery fitness procedure.
We really are running out of excuses for decisions like this just now and it is inevitably going to result in difficult questions for the officials that made the call.
CHELSEA V SHEFFIELD UNITED RESULT 4-1
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry, Simon Long
Fourth official: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Kevin Friend
Assistant VAR: Simon Beck
I’m delighted to report that Referee Jon Moss and his colleagues delivered a performance without controversy. Moss allowed the game to flow applying some particularly good advantages. His decision making was accurate, and he will have deservedly walked off the field with a smile on his face. Well done Jon Moss!
WEST HAM UNITED V FULHAM RESULT 1-0
Referee: Robert Jones
Assistants: Darren Cann, Mark Scholes
Fourth official: Martin Atkinson
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart
It was good to see ‘new boy on the block’ Rob Jones get a Premier League appointment. The main talking point in this game really did not involve the referee but those individuals back at Stockley Park.
When you review the decision from behind the goal you see that the sight line of the goalkeeper is clear and that the West Ham United player did not commit an offence. He was not in the line of sight of the goalkeeper and was not guilty of interfering with an opponent.
SUNDAY 8TH NOVEMBER
WEST BROMWICH ALBION V TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR RESULT 0-1
Referee: Andy Madley
Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Scott Ledger
Fourth official: Steve Martin
VAR: Simon Hooper
Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton
A very good performance from Referee Andy Madley and he should be given more exposure by receiving regular appointments. That man Kane scored the winner and Spurs go to the top of the league.
LEICESTER CITY V WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS RESULT 1-0
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth official: Peter Bankes
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Dan Cook
The outcome of this game was decided by a controversial penalty kick decision. A Leicester player crossed the ball which struck the hand/arm of a Wolves player who was running towards his own goal line. The hand/arm was in a natural running position and the Wolves player and his team mates have every right to be aggrieved with the decision. In my opinion, this was not an offence and I was rather surprised that having viewed the pitch side monitor pointed to the penalty mark.
Later in the game another penalty kick was taken, and the goalkeeper saved.
MANCHESTER CITY V LIVERPOOL RESULT 1-1
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: Lee Betts, Richard West
Fourth official: Andre Marriner
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Stephen Child
Liverpool took the lead after Referee Craig Pawson was in a terrific viewing position pointed to the penalty mark. Salah opened the scoring.
City’s Gabriel Jesus equalised with a great piece of skill in the 31st minute/
We then had the intervention of VAR recommending that Referee Pawson should visit the monitor to view the suspicion of a handball.
The law on handball is troubling and after viewing the screen Pawson pointed to the penalty mark. Kevin De Bruyne blasted the ball wide of the post.
This was another handball decision that highlights for me that this law MUST be changed. There was no deliberate movement of hand to ball rather than a blast from short distance that struck the arm.
ARSENAL V ASTON VILLA RESULT 0-3
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Nick Hopton
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Stephen Child
The main talking point of this match was the intervention of VAR on an offside decisionn.
After viewing the monitor, Atkinson judged that Ross Barkley was in the line of sight of the goalkeeper and so was guilty of interfering with an opponent. The shot was so hard there was no chance of the goalkeeper saving it. However Atkinson was correct in his law application.
This weekend we have witnessed two laws that continue to cause real problems in the decision making process:
HANDBALL – Two decisions where in my opinion neither of them should have been penalised. I was pleased to see that the President of UEFA has requested FIFA to raise their concerns about this law. Ceferin is right as he wants the Referees to judge intentional or accidental handball.
OFFSIDE – Clearly the IFAB failed in the current law to recognise their clarification of hand/arm up to the underside of the armpit. This means the shoulder is now part of the body that can score.
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