Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett
PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH OFFICIALS PERFORMANCE REVIEW WEEK 37
TUESDAY 18TH MAY
MANCHESTER UNITED V FULHAM RESULT 1-1
Referee: Lee Mason. Assistants: Simon Bennett, Adrian Holmes. Fourth official: Anthony Taylor. VAR: Simon Hooper. Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes.
Referee Mason announced earlier in the week through the PGMOL that he was retiring from active officiating. He is to become the first dedicated Video Assistant Referee.
Manchester United player Cavani appealed for a penalty kick claiming that he had been held, VAR checked but Mason was not invited to look at the pitchside monitor. He later scored with a delightful chip over the Fulham goalkeeper and I awaited VAR intervention because the Manchester United player was yards offside. Oh dear! VAR failed to see that it had not touched a Fulham player and we had another huge officiating error.
Fulham’s Bryan scored a deserved equaliser in the 76th minute.
Lee Mason walked off the pitch for the last time, never to take part in any more Premier League games.
SOUTHAMPTON V LEEDS UNITED RESULT 0-2
Referee: Peter Bankes. Assistants: Neil Davies, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Kevin Friend. VAR: David Coote. Assistant VAR: Marc Perry.
Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford gained possession of the ball in Southampton penalty area and was fouled but stayed on his feet and could not get a shot away having lost an angle to shoot. Leeds should have been awarded a penalty.
Bamford scored the opening goal of the game after a subtle pass from Rodrigo before Tyler Roberts converted a rebound after Southampton goalkeeper parried a shot from Bamford to seal the win.
BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION V MANCHESTER CITY RESULT 3-2
Referee: Stuart Attwell. Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Nick Hopton. Fourth official: Graham Scott. VAR: Jonathan Moss. Assistant VAR: Timothy Wood.
Referee Stuart Attwell cemented his position with his best season to date. His running style and movement is athletic and his proximity to play is a strength.
He now needs to ensure a reduction in key major incidents and is prepared to discard VARs advice, look at the pitchside monitor himself and sometimes stay with his original decisions.
Attwell was wearing a blue shirt for this match and it clearly was the wrong selection. The laws of the game state that:
• The two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and the match officials,
• Each goalkeeper must wear colours that are distinguishable from the other players and the match officials.
Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring for Manchester City before a real controversial incident followed.
Joao Cancelo was shown a red card for the denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity. After he was judged to have brought down Danny Welbeck, VAR confirmed the correct call and despite protests the match officials were left with little alternative. Cancelos actions were careless.
The star of Manchester City’s team full of star players is Phil Foden who after a solo run hit City’s second.
Brighton have been very resilient this season under Manager Potter. They started their fightback scoring goals in the 50th, 72nd and 76th minute.
CHELSEA V LEICESTER CITY RESULT 2-1
Referee: Mike Dean. Assistants: Darren Cann, Mark Scholes. Fourth official: Andy Madley. VAR: Andre Marriner. Assistant VAR: Stephen Child.
Chelsea’s Timo Werner was inside his opponent’s penalty area when he received a kick on the rear of his calf muscle that resulted in him going to ground.
No penalty kick was awarded and this was a clear and obvious error by the referee. It was another huge mistake by Referee Dean who had every right to expect his colleague asking him to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Werner later scored but the assistant was correct to raise his flag and rule it out for offside. VAR confirmed,
The German striker scored yet again but replays showed that he had used his hand to propel the ball into the net. VAR intervened and the goal ruled out for this offence.
A penalty kick was then awarded in the match and VAR confirmed that this was the correct decision.
Leicester opened their scoring with 15 minutes of the game left.
We then had a clash of two opposing players leading to a mass confrontation. This was calmed down by the intervention of the referee and some senior players. I expect both clubs to be charged for failing to control their players.
WEDNESDAY 19TH MAY
EVERTON V WOLVES RESULT 1-0
Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Simon Long, Derek Eaton. Fourth official: David Coote. VAR: Graham Scott. Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan.
Everton opened the scoring with a well-directed header from Richarlison that found the back of the net.
It was good to see Andy Madley officiating his 16th game of the season applying some good advantage decisions. He has in my opinion established himself in the SG1 group and I hope that his career will continue to advance. I would also like to see the return of Bobby Madley into the group for he too is a referee that is reliable and sensible in his decision-making. Both brothers show courage and can deal with conflict and foul play in a calm and consistent manner.
One disappointment was a clear handball by an Everton defender that was missed by both VAR and Referee, I suspect that the view that we had on the camera was not the one afforded to Madley.
NEWCASTLE UNITED V SHEFFIELD UNITED RESULT 1-0
Referee: Robert Jones. Assistants: Harry Lennard, Eddie Smart. Fourth official: Tony Harrington. VAR: Martin Atkinson. Assistant VAR: Peter Kirkup.
Robert Jones requires coaching advice to improve his movement and positioning on the field of play. He moves into the space of players and sometimes closes off their opportunity to pass the ball to a colleague because he is in the way.
The game was even until the deadlock was broken in added time in the first half by Willock.
It has been an exceedingly difficult season for Sheffield United who have been well off the type of pace and play that they delivered after their promotion to the Premier League.
I do think that not supporting Chris Wilder was a huge mistake and fans were disappointed when he departed.
I believe that he was the guy to reshape the team in the Championship and then attempt to re-build and get them back into the Premier League.
Steve Bruce has also had a difficult season at Newcastle United with his team in 15th position in the league. I worked in the North East for a couple of years and their fans are very vocal.
CRYSTAL PALACE V ARSENAL RESULT 1-3
Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Andre Marriner. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger.
There was a lovely touch before the start of the game when both teams formed a guard of honour for the retiring Crystal Palace manger Roy Hodgson who has served the game extremely well.
VAR looked closely at a foul challenge by Schlupp of Crystal Palace which for me fulfilled the Excessive Force challenge that endangered the safety of an opponent. He should have received a red card.
I do hope next season that after an in-depth review of VAR protocols they insist that on incidents of this nature the referee visits the pitchside monitor and takes ownership of the decision. We also want both Referee and VAR to be more accountable when errors are made. PGMOL, you need to be more transparent. Do not fudge and do not fob stakeholders off.
Taylor and VAR will operate differently in the upcoming European Championships otherwise he will be on the plane home. Toughen up……
Now let us discuss Benteke. Please tell me how he stayed on the field of play?! His body-check got the yellow card that it required. Then we had a mass confrontation and during that Benteke close to his opponent used his left arm in a strike against his opponent.
HE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED HIS MARCHING ORDERS – Taylor and VAR you need to get your act together!
Arsenal were the deserved winners.
BURNLEY V LIVERPOOL RESULT 0-3
Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Dan Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis. Fourth official: Jonathan Moss. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett.
In the even opening to the game, there were misses at both ends with strikes on goal going well over the bar.
Firmino opened the scoring in the 43rd minute following build-up work by Mane and a cross from Robertson.
Matt Phillips then scored his first goal shortly after the halftime interval and Oxlade-Chamberlain scored Liverpool’s third goal in the 88th minute of the game.
Referee Chris Kavanagh is certainly improving his movement on the field of play and can be happy that he delivered a good performance.
WEST BROM V WEST HAM RESULT 1-3
Referee: Michael Oliver. Assistants: Stuart Burt, Lee Betts. Fourth official: Darren England. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Stephen Child.
West Brom issued a club statement advising that Sam Allardyce would be leaving the club at the end of the season following his attempt to retain the home clubs’ position in the Premier League.
It was always going to be a big ask with the squad of players available to him and Allardyce appeared relaxed about the decision after the game.
I would suggest that the obvious candidate for this job would be Chris Wilder, but we now wait and see.
Within the first 40 seconds, Antonio was brought down inside the penalty area by West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone who was rightly yellow carded. The penalty was however missed by Declan Rice whose shot hit the left-hand post.
West Brom opened the scoring through Mattheus Pereira in the 27th minute before West Ham United Thomas Soucek equalised just before the half-time interval.
West Ham took the lead in 82nd minute from a header by Angelo Ogbonna and Lingard scored the away team’s third and final goal of the match in the 88th minute. His club came away with an unbelievably valuable three points to secure a place in Europe.
David Moyes is for me the Manager of the season for what he has achieved at West Ham United.
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