Ref Watch: Dermot Gallagher analyses Arsenal’s penalty against Bournemouth and more decisions from weekend action | Football News

Former referee Dermot Gallagher dissects the flashpoints from the weekend’s Premier League action including Arsenal’s controversial penalty against Bournemouth. Have your say by voting below!

Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth

INCIDENT: Let’s start at the Emirates and the race for the Premier League title. Arsenal were awarded a penalty after referee David Coote felt Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers brought down Kai Havertz.

DERMOT SAYS: “When you see it in real-time, you think it’s a penalty all day long. When you see it slowed down, it’s totally different.

“But is this what we want to do, forensically diagnose every decision in slow motion? I’m not sure supporters do.

“Travers goes with his feet and doesn’t get the ball. Once you commit like that, you have to get the ball.

“Is Havertz obliged to step over him? Only he can say, but he doesn’t get the ball and the referee gives a penalty.

“I can understand why it’s given on-field and I can understand why it’s not overturned.”

INCIDENT: Bournemouth had a goal disallowed when Coote felt there was a foul by Dominic Solanke. VAR agreed with him. Was this a foul? Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola certainly didn’t think so.

DERMOT SAYS: “I expect a goal to be given. Solanke doesn’t look at the ball, he gives him a little nudge but is it enough to knock the goalkeeper off balance like that?

“The goalkeeper looks as though he goes to get straight up so doesn’t really think he’s been fouled.

“I thought the easiest decision was to give a goal and it all goes away.

“The referee ruled there was a foul on the goalkeeper, he judged that was the first thing that happened and relayed that to VAR.

“VAR looked and confirmed it was a foul to him, but I did expect him to give a goal.”

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INCIDENT: Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie escaped any punishment for a challenge on Bukayo Saka early on. Was he fortunate here?

DERMOT SAYS: “It should be punished, but I don’t think it’s a red card.

“It is high, but both boots are up. The referee sees an advantage and plays on, the VAR goes back and checks for a red card – I don’t think it is.

“They’re in limbo because they can’t go yellow, whereas if the ref had stopped the game, he could’ve given a yellow card.”

Brighton 1-0 Aston Villa

INCIDENT: To the south coast now and the battle for Champions League qualification. Aston Villa had an early penalty claim waved away against Brighton after Morgan Rogers went down in the box.

DERMOT SAYS: “I wasn’t convinced this was a penalty and it was also cleared very quickly.

“Facundo Buonanotte doesn’t do a lot wrong. Every little thing is diagnosed as physical contact and if we’re not careful, we’ll sanitise the game and physical contact will be taken out of it.”

Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham

INCIDENT: To Anfield and Liverpool had a shout for a penalty in the first half during their 4-2 win over Tottenham. Cody Gakpo went down after a challenge from Micky van de Ven, but Paul Tierney waved it away.

DERMOT SAYS: “How he reacted sold it to the referee. He does get clipped, but the referee is very close and sees him go through the air and convinced him not to give a penalty.

“They can [see that Gakpo was tripped], but they have to go on what the referee says.

“So he will say he thinks Gakpo has launched himself through the air, which you can’t really argue with the referee there.

“He waves it away immediately and says no.”

Stephen Warnock: “I think he gets caught and it’s a penalty.

“What is a normal thing to do when you’re running at speed and your legs get taken away?

“It’s maybe a bit dramatic, but it’s still a penalty.”

Man City 5-1 Wolves

INCIDENT: On Saturday Night Football, Manchester City were awarded a penalty in their win over Wolves when Rayan Ait-Nouri collided with Josko Gvardiol. Gary O’Neil was watching this from the stands due to suspension and wasn’t impressed – was this harsh?

DERMOT SAYS: “Not a penalty for me. This is the kind of decision you see time and again in a football match, but I didn’t think it was a penalty.

“It was two players going for the ball.”

Stephen Warnock: “I can see why it’s given but I can also see why it’s not given.

“As a full-back, I’m thinking ‘I need to know who’s there and if I swing my leg, I’m taking a gamble because if I catch the player, I give away a penalty’.”

Burnley 1-4 Newcastle

INCIDENT: During Newcastle’s victory at Burnley, Anthony Taylor awarded Eddie Howe’s side a penalty after Josh Brownhill brought down Anthony Gordon. Were then any issues with the awarding of this?

DERMOT SAYS: “He grabs hold of Gordon’s shirt and the referee is in the perfect position. He sees it, gives it. Penalty.”

INCIDENT: Burnley also wanted a penalty for a Bruno Guimaraes challenge on Lorenz Assignon. His hands are clearly on his back and Vincent Kompany was furious about this, so why wasn’t it given?

DERMOT SAYS: “The referee has had a bit of bad luck. The camera would show he’s blocked off, he’s trying to look around players but doesn’t have a clear view.

“If he has the view we have, he makes a different decision.

“If the VAR sends him to the screen, I think he would award the penalty.”

‘Referee head-mounted camera will open people’s eyes’

Referee Jarred Gillett will wear a camera during Monday night’s Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and Manchester United, live on Sky Sports.

The Premier League said the footage from the camera would not be broadcast live, but that it was set to form part of a programme to be screened later in the year which it is hoped will “offer further insight and education into the demands of officiating” at the top level.

Gillett will wear a head-mounted device which is integrated into the usual referee communications system.

The one-off use of the camera has been approved by the game’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), as well as the Premier League, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and the clubs involved.

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DERMOT SAYS: “It will show a lot of things that people don’t realise. There was an incident at Burnley on Saturday when Burnley wanted a penalty, and if the referee had a head camera on, you would have seen what he saw and that’s totally different to what you would see as a spectator.

“It will open people’s eyes a little bit, to see what it’s for and how educational it will be.”

Stephen Warnock: “As long as it’s used in the right way, I like the sound of it. We’re always trying to find ways of progressing the game and helping referees. I’m really looking forward to watching it from a positional sense.”

Sue Smith: “They did something similar in the women’s game where they wore a body camera and it did give you a different perspective, so I think it’s a good idea.”

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