Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett

PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE PERFORMANCE REVIEW WEEK 5

FRIDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER

NEWCASTLE UNITED V LEEDS UNITED RESULT 1-1
Referee: Mike Dean. Assistants: Ian Hussin, Darren Cann. Fourth official: Michael Salisbury. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Neil Davies.

Leeds United opened the scoring with a long-range curling shot from Raphina that passed through a number of players in the penalty area and into the back of the net. I thought that the Newcastle United goalkeeper should have done much better.

Newcastle United then started to make chances of their own. First, a run by Saint-Maxim and cross on another day might have resulted in an equalizer before they then a shot tipped onto the post. It was an excellent save by the Leeds United goalkeeper.

Saint-Maximin scored in the 44th minute after a dribbling run across his opponent’s penalty area.

Mike Dean and his team of officials produced a low-key performance allowing the game to flow.

SATURDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS V BRENTFORD RESULT 0-2
Referee: Darren England. Assistants: Harry Lennard, Peter Kirkup. Fourth official: David Coote. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt.

At last, a referee showing courage in awarding a penalty kick! After a clear holding offence by a Wolves player, who wrestled his opponent to the ground in front of a referee who had earlier warned about grappling. Well done, Darren England!

Brentford then scored and the Assistants flag was raised. VAR intervened and the goal correct chalked off for handball as indicated clearly by the referee.

Following a breakaway on their left wing, the ball was crossed and Brentford scored their second goal.

Wolves’ Baptiste was then correctly shown a second yellow after he had wrestled his opponent to the ground and sent off.

Referee England produced a good performance establishing himself towards the top end of the group of professional referees.

BURNLEY V ARSENAL RESULT 0-1
Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: John Brooks. VAR: Lee Mason. Assistant VAR: Matthew Wilkes.

Arsenal opened the scoring with a goal from a free kick just outside the Burnley penalty area. In the second half, the VAR reviewed a handball. Referee Taylor was in a good position to judge and VAR confirmed and supported Taylor’s view that no offence had been committed.

The main talking-point in this game was when Arsenal’s goalkeeper brought down an opponent and the referee pointed to the penalty mark for a penalty kick. I must say that at normal speed it looked a nailed-on decision until you viewed the replays after VAR intervention. Taylor reviewed his decision by looking at the monitor and overturned his decision.
What is interesting here is that whilst the goalkeeper kicked the ball away in doing so he brought his opponent down to the ground. Is this a clear and obvious error and should VAR have intervened?

Refereeing does have its ups and downs and Taylor looked a little jaded after his big game in Europe in mid-week. In that game, he had to rescind a red card after showing a player a yellow then red. He changed after been advised that the player had not received an earlier yellow.

LIVERPOOL V CRYSTAL PALACE RESULT 3-0
Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Eddie Smart. Fourth official: Geoff Eltringham. VAR: Andre Marriner. Assistant VAR: Simon Long.

Good to see Referee Madley appointed to his second game of the season and he can be very pleased with his performance. In what was a game dominated by the home team the referee maintaining good contact with play and consistent with his accurate decision making.
THOUGHT THAT CRYSTAL PALACE SHOULD HAVE HAD A PENALTY KICK WHEN LIVERPOOLS TSIMIKAS CHALLENGE BROUGHT DOWN BENTEKE. The Liverpool holding his hands up in a ‘I didn’t touch him pose’
Sadio Mane scored his 100th goal for the club then Salah scored the second and with ten minutes to go Naby Keita scored a third from a curling shot.
Still some work to do for Crystal Palaces management team who continue to strengthen their squad,

MANCHESTER CITY V SOUTHAMPTON RESULT 0-0
Referee: Jonathan Moss. Assistants: Marc Perry, Timothy Wood. Fourth official: Peter Bankes. VAR: Martin Atkinson. Assistant VAR: Richard West.

It’s been a poor weekend for the older statesmen of the Professional Game Match Officials. Both Martin Atkinson and Jonathan Moss are fifty-year-old.

On Saturday 18th September, Atkinson was VAR sat in front of broadcast screens at Stockley Park for the game Manchester City v Southampton, Moss was the referee.

In the 60th minute of the game, Referee Moss had to make a big decision when Manchester City’s Kyle Walker committed a careless challenge on Southampton’s Adam Armstrong bringing him to the ground.
Armstrong had sprinted into the penalty area with the ball and was in a position to get his shot on goal away when he was fouled. Referee Jon Moss did not hesitate and pointed to the penalty mark and approached Kyle Walker and held up high the red card.

It was a good decision from Jon Moss who was well-positioned and then to my amazement (as well as many fans in the stadium and sat in front of television screens around the world), VAR Atkinson intervened and advised Moss to go to the monitor to review his decision.

VAR Atkinson had no right under the CLEAR AND OBVIOUS VAR criteria to intervene.

Moss then displayed a weakness and decided to put his trust in his colleague Atkinson, and took only a short glance at the monitor and deciding to overturn the red card and penalty kick award to Southampton.

The pair of them getting a key match incident wrong that impacted on the result.

NORWICH CITY V WATFORD RESULT 1-3
Referee: Robert Jones. Assistants: Scott Ledger, Derek Eaton. Fourth official: Tim Robinson. VAR: Graham Scott. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook.

Norwich City remain firmly at the bottom of the Premier League after another defeat, this time at the hands of Watford.

Ther visitors opened the scoring after a cross from the right found the head of Dennis in the 17th minute, Norwich defenders ball watching. Norwich then scored from a good strike by Pukki in the 35th minute.

Watford’s Sarr then scored twice in the 63rd and 80th minute to gain an easy win. The final goal was checked for offside and correctly allowed after the review.

ASTON VILLA V EVERTON RESULT 3-0
Referee: Craig Pawson. Assistants: Simon Bennett, Dan Robathan. Fourth official: Simon Hooper. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Lee Betts.

Aston Villa produced a good performance and will have been delighted with the performance of Bailey who came on and scored in the 75th minute following up on earlier goals by Cash 66th minute and an own goal in the 69th by Everton’s Digne.

The two main talking-points were from Villa’s Scotland international McGinn challenging with Demarai Gray and ending up with a head injury. McGinn was allowed back onto the field to continue to play. He then had to come off after feeling dizzy twenty minutes later with concussion.  Villa should re-visit their protocols on concussion injuries and allow the medical team to make the decision for a player to continue not the player himself.

The other talking-point was when Pawson allowed play to continue after a clear pull-back on an Everton player on the edge of Villa’s penalty area, His advantage did not materialise into a goal and he might have returned and cautioned the Villa offender.

Referee Pawson can be very satisfied with his performance.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION V LEICESTER CITY RESULT 2-1
Referee: Stuart Attwell. Assistants: Dan Cook, Simon Long. Fourth official: Graham Scott. VAR: Peter Bankes. Assistant VAR: Wade Smith.

There was a huge error in this game between referee Attwell and VAR Bankes.

A penalty kick was awarded to Brighton for an alleged handball by Leicester City’s Jannik Vestergaard. The ball did strike the hand, but both officials ignored the fact that the Leicester City player was being held and wrestled to the ground. It was the turning point in the game and a serious error.

WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER UNITED
Referee: Martin Atkinson.  Assistants: Lee Betts, Richard West. Fourth official: David Coote. VAR: Darren England.  Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan.

On Sunday, Atkinson was now the referee for the West Ham United v Manchester United game after officiating at the Etihad the day before. His performance in this game was well below the standard that you would expect from an official of his experience. Was he still carrying the weight of his previous day’s involvement in the Saturday game for his performance was below his usual standard?

Manchester United will feel aggrieved that a foul on Ronaldo was not penalised with a penalty kick that left the United player looking bemused. Where was VAR? In my opinion, this was a clear and obvious error and he should have intervened.

The penalty kick for a deliberate outstretched arm by Manchester United’s Luke Shaw required the intervention of VAR to ensure that West Ham United were awarded a penalty kick after Atkinson reviewed the monitor.
Following a quick substitute West Hams Noble came on and missed the spot kick.

Ronaldo should have had a penalty kick, the handball and resultant penalty kick decision correct.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V CHELSEA
Referee: Paul Tierney. Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Neil Davies. Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.

A pulsating game well officiated by my Referee of the weekend Paul Tierney – well done.

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