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Ref Watch: Could Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha have escaped red card in Tottenham defeat? | Football News


Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher assesses whether Wilfried Zaha was correctly sent off during Crystal Palace’s 3-0 defeat at Tottenham in the latest Ref Watch…

Tottenham 3-0 Crystal Palace

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Tottenham’s win over Crystal Palace

INCIDENT: During Crystal Palace’s 3-0 defeat at Tottenham, Wilfried Zaha compounded his side’s woes with a needless red card before the break. Eleven minutes after picking up a first yellow card, Zaha foolishly flung his arms at Davinson Sanchez and was sent off by referee Jon Moss.

DERMOT’S VERDICT: Sending off, correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: For Zaha’s first yellow card, the referee thinks he’s flicked out at his ankle and deemed it a booking. These two had been having a run-in for the best part of the afternoon. For the second booking, the only certainty you can say is that if you’re on a yellow card, what he did was such a massive risk.

If you’ve managed to stay on the field on a yellow card after doing what he did, you’re very lucky. You’ve had a Christmas present. I don’t think he can have any argument whatsoever.

Norwich 0-5 Arsenal

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal’s 5-0 win at Norwich

INCIDENT: Kenny McLean was tugged to the floor by Alexandre Lacazette at a Norwich corner when the score was still 2-0 but referee Graham Scott wasn’t interested and VAR concluded that no offence had taken place.

“There was contact, he said there wasn’t enough,” McLean said. “I don’t know how much contact there needs to be for a penalty.”

DERMOT’S VERDICT: Tight call. Not enough to overturn on-field decision.

DERMOT SAYS: This is going to be debatable as people will see this in different ways. I wonder how much force there is, but what you would say is that Lacazette is running a massive risk to do that. What sways the referee in my view is the way he’s gone down. He may think there is minimal contact.

The referee on the field knows how much contact there is in that but the one certainty is that VAR is never going to overturn the on-field decision in this instance. I don’t feel there’s enough contact, but then it’s the referee’s judgement.

I don’t think the VAR would ever send the referee to the monitor here because I don’t feel it’s a clear and obvious error.

West Ham 2-3 Southampton

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Southampton’s win at West Ham

INCIDENT: Southampton were awarded a penalty after West Ham defender Craig Dawson was out-paced by Armando Broja before bringing him down on the edge of the box. Referee Kevin Friend consulted the pitch-side monitor before awarding the spot-kick, which was clinically dispatched by James Ward-Prowse.

DERMOT’S VERDICT: Correct decision, penalty.

Armando Broja is brought down by Craig Dawson
Image:
Armando Broja is brought down by Craig Dawson

DERMOT SAYS: The VAR process on this decision was very good because the referee, if you see where he is positioned, he can’t see through the players or where the incident occurs.

Dawson goes to clip him outside the box and it continues into the box. Because the foul continues into the penalty area, they can then give a penalty. I think the VAR [Craig Pawson] was really good because it identified all of that and fed it back to Kevin. He’s then seen it on the monitor and felt it was a penalty, which it was.

Manchester City 6-3 Leicester

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Manchester City’s win over Leicester

INCIDENT: Manchester City were rampant in the first half against Leicester, and doubled their lead with the first of their penalties after Youri Tielemans was deemed to have bundled over Aymeric Laporte in the box. Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers felt it was a soft decision.

DERMOT’S VERDICT: Correct decision, penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I would say definitely yes, for a number of reasons. This actually started before the corner came over. The referee stopped them. Tielemans is never once looking at the ball, he grabs him and wraps around him. Chris Kavanagh doesn’t spot it as he was looking at Kelechi Iheanacho.

That’s where the combination [between referee and VAR] was really good. It was clearly a foul from Tielemans. One player is looking at the ball, while the other player isn’t. Tielemans is intent on blocking his opponent. Once he wraps his arm around him to haul him to the ground, the referee is duty-bound to give a penalty.





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