Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett
PREMIER LEAGUE REVIEW – 1st and 2nd February 2020
LEICESTER CITY 2-2 CHELSEA
Referee: Lee Mason
Assistants: Simon Long, Mark Scholes
Fourth official: Oliver Langford
VAR: Graham Scott
Assistant VAR: Andy Halliday
Lee Mason failed to caution a clear act of simulation by Abrahams. If these types of offences are not penalised, then the growth of diving in our games will continue. We call it simulation but it is blatant cheating. I would like the Football Association to review their procedure and introduce retrospective punishment in an attempt to stop this offence taking place.
The game ended in a 2-2 draw.
BOURNEMOUTH 2-1 ASTON VILLA
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth official: James Linington
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Stephen Child
Not a lot to report on in the match. Bournemouth can have no complaints about the sending off of Jefferson Lema for two yellow cards.
CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 SHEFFIELD UNITED
Referee: Andy Madley
Assistants: Neil Davies, Derek Eaton
Fourth official: Antony Coggins
VAR: Tim Robinson
Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin
Baldock of Sheffield Utd was very lucky to escape a second yellow card for a reckless challenge close to the touchline.
The outcome of this game was decided by a goalkeeping error. The Crystal Palace keeper dropped the ball over his own goal-line, handing the game to Sheffield United.
Referee Andy Madley showed Palace right-back, Joel Ward, a red card late on for a foul on Stevens, but downgraded the punishment to a yellow card after consulting his pitchside monitor.
LIVERPOOL 4-0 SOUTHAMPTON
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistants: Simon Beck, Adrian Holmes
Fourth official: David Webb
VAR: Simon Hooper
Assistant VAR: Daniel Robathan
The main talking-point was the decision-making quality of the VAR Simon Hooper who had the opportunity of being able to see replays of incidents on more than one occasion. He then failed to advise the referee to award two penalty-kicks.
INCIDENT ONE
Southampton’s Long hauled down Firminho, it was a clear penalty-kick to Liverpool. No intervention by VAR.
INCIDENT TWO
Ings of Liverpool brings down Long, a clear foul but yet again no VAR.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-0 NORWICH CITY
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Eddie Smart
Fourth official: Darren England
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Scott Ledger
Referee Atkinson delivered a good game without controversy.
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: Lee Betts, Richard West
Fourth official: Keith Stroud
VAR: Jonathan Moss
Assistant VAR: Dan Cook
Craig Pawson delivered a good performance and could not be faulted when issuing two yellow cards, followed by a red for Delph.
Watford took the lead with two good goals but Everton, under their new manager, now have much more resilience and ran out winners.
WEST HAM UNITED 3-3 BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Michael Salisbury
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
West Ham United took a deserved two-nil lead and appeared to be coasting to victory. However, Brighton had other ideas and deserved the draw.
The final goal by Glenn Murray in the game was initially ruled out by Michael Oliver for handball. However, VAR intervention advised that there was no offence and the equalising goal was allowed.
MANCHESTER UNITED 0–0 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Harry Lennard, Marc Perry
Fourth official: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Mike Dean
Assistant VAR: Andy Halliday
Sixty-two years ago, on Thursday, United suffered the biggest tragedy in their history when eight players were among the 23 passengers who died when the team plane crashed in Munich following a refuelling stop on the way back from a European Cup tie in Belgrade.
This was a poor game and the good thing was that in form Referee Paul Tierney held his form and delivered yet another game free from controversy.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Dan Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official: Jonathan Moss
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Gary Beswick
This was a no-score draw with no controversial incidents to report. Both teams had chances to score but clearly failed to do so.
SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-0 MANCHESTER CITY
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Ian Hussin, Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Kevin Friend
Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard
This turned out to be a bad-tempered game and the PGMOL can take some credit for appointing the Premier Leagues most experienced referee to this game.
The first talking-point was the challenge by City’s Sterling on Delli Alli. The bottom of Sterling’s boot made contact with the lower leg of Alli. The referee awarded a free-kick and yellow card. I have looked at replays and these types of challenges cannot be allowed. I would have expected a red card to be issued.
The next talking-point was a foul on City’s Aguero inside his opponent’s penalty area. The first view live is that is a penalty kick. The game continued for two minutes when it was stopped for a VAR review. I cannot understand why it took two minutes but in reality, it was correct to award a penalty-kick.
The penalty-kick was saved with Spurs goalkeeper Lloris well off his goal line. The Penalty kick at this point should be re-taken.
That did not happen, but from the save of the goalkeeper it spun loose and a diving goalkeeper looked to have brought down Sterling.
Another VAR review and Mike Dean without going to the pitch-side monitor was happy to take Kevin Friend’s advice that it was not a penalty kick. During this delay new boy, Zinchenko of Manchester City was cautioned.
All that took place in the first half!
The second half saw Zinchenko commit a clear yellow-card offence stopping a promising attack and Mike Dean had no hesitation in issuing the card followed by a red.
Tottenham took the lead with a spectacular strike by the debutant Steven Bergwijn.
KEITH HACKETT
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