Plus: Could Mike Dean have come out and admitted he made a mistake? Should Ruben Dias have seen red at Anfield? Should Arsenal have been awarded a penalty at Villa Park, and were Aston Villa fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men?
Monday 8 February 2021 18:36, UK
Dermot Gallagher returns with the latest Ref Watch and offers his assessment on Tomas Soucek's red card and the fallout engulfing referee Mike Dean.
INCIDENT: Tomas Soucek is sent off by referee Mike Dean after being alerted to potential violent conduct from the West Ham midfielder by VAR, which spots an elbow to the face of Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
VERDICT: Incorrect decision.
DERMOT SAYS: "I don't think there is any doubt that this is an error. Because they are grappling, I think Soucek wants to bring his arm from in front of Mitrovic to the back. He's lifting his arm up to put it on the other side of his head and has caught him with a glancing blow on the side of the face.
"I liken it to raising your hand in a bar to catch the barman's attention and you hit the person next to you with a glancing blow. You'd just turn, say sorry and get on with it, and I think the players were happy to get on with it.
"Where I feel for Mike Dean, the VAR triggered a review and he went to the review area. The VAR told him to look at Soucek's clenched fist, something VAR looks out for, because when you clench your fist it's as if you're giving power to a decision. Well, I don't think it was that, Soucek may have had a clenched fist but it wasn't to gain power.
"It was an error of judgement, everyone I've spoken to has said it was an accident, and it has been rescinded. The right decision has been reached, and it has also been made quickly, which puts it to bed, and everyone can move on.
"In situations like this, the longer it goes on the more we talk about it, the more traction it gains. Now it's over, done and dusted."
DERMOT SAYS: "Mike Dean couldn't come out and say he made a mistake because he cannot prejudice the Premier League's process of either issuing a suspension or rescinding the red card. It's a very difficult situation, it's a balancing act and what they have got at the moment is the fairest way.
"In terms of Mike Dean listening to Mitrovic saying it wasn't a red card, I think you've got to be careful. As a referee you have to be completely impartial and make your own decisions. The reaction of players can tell you certain things, but it is not an accurate barometer."
After it was revealed Mike Dean had asked not to be selected to officiate in the Premier League this weekend after receiving death threats, Dermot added:
"I'm not a great one for looking back, but when I was refereeing, I took stick in games or coming out to the car park afterwards. But when you went home that was then end of it. Unfortunately now we have social media, and it goes on and on and on, creating avenues like this which are very distasteful.
"It's not a good place for Mike Dean to be at the moment, I feel for him and his family. I worked with Mike many years ago and bump into him every now and then, he's a very upbeat, happy guy. I wouldn't wish this on anybody, it's terrible."
INCIDENT: Raheem Sterling is brought down in the area by the outstretched leg of Liverpool centre-back Fabinho. Referee Michael Oliver points straight to the spot to award Manchester City a penalty.
VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: "Fabinho dangles a leg as Sterling goes into the box, and the trailing leg catches him. The speed Sterling is moving at, Fabinho doesn't have to catch him too hard to send him to ground.
"Michael Oliver had a tremendous game at Anfield, and he was right on the spot."
INCIDENT: Manchester City defender Ruben Dias concedes a penalty for tugging Mohamed Salah's arm in the area and is shown a yellow and not a red by referee Michael Oliver.
VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: "The minute Dias grabbed Salah's arm; he was going to always give away a penalty.
"It wasn't a challenge worthy of a red card because John Stones was covering after Salah's heavy touch. It was a possible goal-scoring opportunity rather than an obvious one, so it doesn't hit the criteria for a red card."
INCIDENT: Timo Werner is brought down in the area by Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Referee Kevin Friend chooses not to award a penalty initially but it instructed to consult the pitchside monitor, where he overturns his initial decision and awards Chelsea a penalty.
VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: "Referee Kevin Friend may have needed to go over to the monitor as he may not have been sure whether Werner and Ramsdale merely collided, but I think it is a penalty. It a player goes to ground he has to win the ball, he doesn't and it's a penalty.
"There were questions whether Ramsdale should have received a red card, but Werner's touch is so heavy, Chris Basham is coming across and would possibly have intercepted it.
"It's a penalty and the VAR process has worked because it alerted Kevin, he went to the screen and realised, and came back on to award the penalty so we restarted with the correct call."
INCIDENT: Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is prevented from running through on goal by Ezri Konsa, who appears to be the last man in the Aston Villa defence. Referee Chris Kavanagh decides the challenge warranted only a yellow card.
VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: "I don't think Konsa's challenge merited a red card because of the distance from goal. To add to that, I'm not even sure it was a foul by the Aston Villa player, I think Saka actually initiates contact with Konsa. So, if it had gone to VAR, it may well have been overturned in favour of the defender."
INCIDENT: Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette tussle in the goal mount at a corner and both players end up on the ground. Arsenal felt they had grounds for a penalty but referee Chris Kavanagh disagreed.
VERDICT: Correct decision.
DERMOT SAYS: "I don't think this was a penalty. It's six and two threes for me. Lacazette starts to lean into Martinez, who then takes a hold of his shirt as much for his balance than anything else.
"It looks bad because they go to ground, almost as if Martinez pulled Lacazette down, but Lacazette is equally guilty of pushing him down.
"A defensive free-kick is the best outcome because something has to be done with the goalkeeper on the floor."
