Officially Speaking – with Keith Hackett
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE REFEREE PERFORMANCE REVIEW
7th and 8th March 2020
LIVERPOOL 2-1 BOURNEMOUTH
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Constantine Hatzidakis
Fourth official: Mike Dean
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Andy Halliday
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 20 | 3 | 58 |
Bournemouth scored the opening goal, but Liverpool can feel aggrieved that a clear push-on Liverpool’s Gomez by Callum Wilson went unpunished. This was a clear and obvious error and one that VAR should have intervened.
Liverpool’s Milner cleared the ball off the goal line with a last-ditch kick.
ARSENAL 1-0 WEST HAM UNITED
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistants: Lee Betts, Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official: John Brooks
VAR: Kevin Friend
Assistant VAR: Simon Beck
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 25 | 3 | 72 |
West Ham United’s number 22 Haller went to ground under the challenge of the Arsenal goalkeeper. Referee Atkinson was right up with play and in a good viewing position rightly said no penalty kick. Good decision.
Later in the game Arsenal’s Lacazette was clearly been held inside the West Ham United penalty area. Atkinson gave nothing so it was a clear and obvious error and amazingly after a VAR check, no penalty was awarded. That was an injustice and a massive error in the game,
Arsenal then scored through Lacazette only for it to be ruled out by Assistant Referee Sian Massey Ellis. This time VAR check ruled that the goal should stand. The offside flag was incorrect, which was a rare error by Massey-Ellis
CRYSTAL PALACE 1-0 WATFORD
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth official: Darren England
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 23 | 4 | 98 |
This game passed without incident and it is good that Referee Anthony Taylor is regaining his form.
Crystal Palace deserved their win over a resilient Watford who had chances to score but failed to take them.
SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-0 NORWICH CITY
Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistants: Derek Eaton, Mark Scholes
Fourth official: Michael Salisbury
VAR: Lee Mason
Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 9 | 2 | 26 |
Referee Simon Hooper had a rare run-out and again I’m delighted to report that there were no problems.
Having been involved in the introduction of goal-line technology we were once again treated to how well the system operates. The cameras operate through software with no human intervention and enables a very accurate decision to be made. I hope that one day we will see a similar system that will be available to determine offside decisions.
SOUTHAMPTON 0-1 NEWCASTLE UNITED
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistants: Neil Davies, Richard West
Fourth official: Andy Woolmer
VAR: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant VAR: Andy Garratt
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 15 | 4 | 44 |
The big incident in the game was a challenge by Southampton’s Moussa Djenepo where Referee Graham Scott on first view issued a yellow card. VAR Stuart Attwell was spot on when he suggested that the referee should have another look.
For only the second time in the season, Graham Scott viewed the monitor, returned and correctly issued a red card for a clear stamping offence.
Well done! This is exactly how VAR should be operated.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0-0 BRIGHTON HOVE ALBION
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistants: Scott Ledger, Simon Long
Fourth official: Jeremy Simpson
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Peter Kirkup
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 17 | 2 | 44 |
The referee Andre Marriner one of the most experienced referees on the list appears to be struggling with the pace of the game and loses a lot of distance from active play on the quick breaks. A game with a lot of huff and puff but no goals from either side. In fairness, there were no controversial refereeing incidents,
BURNLEY 1-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry, Eddie Smart
Fourth official: Andy Madley
VAR: Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR: Andy Halliday
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 20 | 2 | 77 |
In the 12th minute of the game, Burnley’s Woods scored. However, in the build-up, the ball accidentally struck the arm of Dwight McNeil.
Therefore, I was rather surprised that VAR intervention to check that the score was legitimate did not intervene and allowed the goal to stand.
Tottenham scored from the Penalty mark after a foul challenge.
Then to the amazement of the home fans, a deliberate push by Tottenham’s number six Sanchez into the back of Burnley’s Woods was not punished. Sadly Referee Moss was let down by the VAR Pawson.
The game ended one each.
CHELSEA 4 – 0 EVERTON
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Simon Beck
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Martin Atkinson
Assistant VAR: Lee Betts
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 19 | 3 | 63 |
This was a one-sided game that must have pleased the fans of Chelsea. It was a four-goal win against what we thought was an improving Everton.
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 – 0 MANCHESTER CITY
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Darren Cann, Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Andre Marriner
Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton
| Number of Premier League games season to date | Total number of Red Cards | Total number of Yellow Cards |
| 21 | 4 | 94 |
I had the pleasure of officiating the Manchester derby game on a number of occasions. There was plenty of passion and skill on display.
The experienced Mike Dean was in charge alongside World Cup Final 2010 officials Darren Cann and Dan Rathbone.
Andre Marriner was sat in the VAR seat having officiated Wolves v Brighton on Saturday.
In the 27th minute Manchester City players surrounded the referee after the ball had struck the referee, drop ball goes to the team that last played it.
It would appear that the players require some education on the Laws of the Game.
In the 30th minute, United took the lead from a wrongly awarded free-kick. There was simply no foul committed, the United player conned the ref.
United scored from the free-kick and also scored after being helped by some poor goalkeeping.
Fred was cautioned for SIMULATION when he was fouled and should have had a penalty kick.
Darren Cann flagged for offside and Aguero continued to play on and score. VAR came in and checked and confirmed the offside decision was correct. It was a very tight call.
City dominated possession in the second half but a calamitous performance by Manchester City’s goalkeeper Edison gifted Manchester United a second goal.
UPCOMING GAMES
MONDAY 9TH MARCH LEICESTER CITY 20:00 ASTON VILLA
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Daniel Cook, Simon Bennett
Fourth official: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard
WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH MANCHESTER CITY 19:30 ARSENAL
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry, Eddie Smart
Fourth official: Lee Mason
VAR: Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR: Neil Davies
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