Analysis

Ref Watch: Dermot Gallagher assesses Premier League incidents in Tottenham vs Chelsea and Crystal Palace vs Man City

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher reveals all as he examines incidents from across the weekend's action, including two potential red cards in Chelsea's 4-3 win at Tottenham and Rico Lewis' sending off in Man City's draw with Crystal Palace

Dermot Gallagher

Former Premier League referee

Monday 9 December 2024 11:59, UK

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher is back to assess the controversial moments from the weekend's action.

Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea

Dermot: 'Intensity' saves Caicedo from red

INCIDENT: Moises Caicedo appears to plant his studs into the shin of Pape Matar Sarr during Chelsea's 4-3 win at Tottenham. No foul is given at the time and a VAR review decides not to intervene.

DERMOT SAYS: "I think it's a yellow card. I can understand why Jamie Carragher thinks it's a red.

"I think he goes down, puts his foot into the ground and doesn't go through it - that's what saves him. If he catches him half-way up the shin, he's going to get a red card.

"What everybody's looking for now is intensity. Has he got it, has he got the momentum, has he gone through it. His boot comes down on the pitch, rather than his shin.

"That's what saves him."

Warnock: 'It's a potential leg breaker'

Sue Smith on Ref Watch:

"I'm really surprised it wasn't a red card. I thought he went with quite a bit of intensity. It looked quite aggressive, and he connects high and scrapes down.

"I thought they were going to review it and he'd be sent off."

Stephen Warnock: "I was really surprised too. I understand what you're saying about the intensity, and the way he's gone in.

"Even just before he goes in, I think he knows he's gone high and is late. That's why, when you look at the intensity, it's happened already.

"It's knowing he's going to kick through and is in trouble. It's a potential leg breaker.

"When you're coming together like that, the chances of breaking your leg are very high. It's such a dangerous challenge. He's lucky there."

Dermot: Not enough in Kulusevski elbow to warrant red

INCIDENT: Dejan Kulusveski catches Romeo Lavia on the side of the head with a raised elbow as the pair duel for the ball. Again, the incident goes unpunished despite a VAR check.

DERMOT SAYS: "I heard [the VAR] say it lacked the intensity, he didn't use his arm as a weapon, he didn't draw it back.

"The question you'd ask is why he has his arm up like that. Why's he running like that? It's a dilemma.

"I heard the VAR say he's got his arm up but he doesn't draw it back, he doesn't use it as a weapon. It doesn't have the intensity, as you say, the buzzword now.

"That was their reason - when you look at where [the referee] is and what he's seen, he was speaking to the VAR and if you look at the images now, he's looking straight at it.

"He sees what happens and will know how hard he's caught him. The images will then portray what he's said."

Smith: It's dangerous - it should have been a red

Stephen Warnock on Ref Watch:

"Is that a natural position to run with? If I'm running full pelt, and you're talking about intensity, that's already in the run.

"It doesn't need to move, the arm, the speed you're running at. From a short distance, I'd have to throw an elbow up to physically use it.

"But if I take a run-up, and my arm is already up, and I hit you from a distance, that force has built up.

"Whether you've cocked your arm up or you've used the force of the speed of running in, it's going to cause damage.

"I don't understand how it can't be deemed as aggressive and foul play."

Sue Smith: "Yeah, it's a red card. If Stephen and I are fighting for the ball, I might put my hand up and catch him in the face and that's accidental. We get that.

"But the clenched fist - that movement alone is dangerous. You can see it from the marks on Lavia's head afterwards."

Dermot: Difficult to do more about Tottenham missiles

INCIDENT: As Chelsea players go across to take corners in front of the home end at Tottenham, paper used to make a pre-match display is thrown at their takers, causing delays on several occasions.

DERMOT SAYS: "The best thing to do is what they did do, which is try to sweep it away very quickly.

"The worst scenario is to have to suspend the game. When that happens, it invites people to do it more.

"It's not nice, it's not clever. It happened on both sides, the referee and assistant did as best they could to get rid of it and move on."

Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City

Dermot: Lewis red 'exposes' issue over second yellows

INCIDENT: Rico Lewis is shown a second yellow card in Man City's draw at Crystal Palace, despite appearing to be trodden on by Trevoh Chalobah.

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Ref Watch takes a closer look at Rico Lewis' second yellow card in Manchester City's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace and poses the question of whether it's time for VAR to intervene on such decisions

DERMOT SAYS: "When you see that, you'd say yes - but looking at it close up, it's unlucky.

"He doesn't catch Chalobah, it's the other way round. He's paid a heavy price for the earlier yellow card.

"When you see it as the referee sees it, I understand why he's sent him off, it looks like a lunging challenge.

"But it does expose that you can't change second yellows."

'Lewis punished by a flawed system'

Stephen Warnock on Ref Watch:

"It's a game-changing moment, it's a shame. It can effectively change a game, and if you get the wrong decision, if VAR is there to help the referee, that's a prime situation.

"Everyone would understand it. And now Rico Lewis has to miss a game as well, because it's not a sending off. He's being punished for a flawed system."

Sue Smith: "You can understand why Rob Jones thought it was a second yellow, from distance. It's got to evolve to that, where you have to look at a second yellow.

"We've had a couple of those recently."

'No second-yellow review was to reduce stoppages'

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on whether second yellow cards should be reviewed by VAR:

"At the moment, VAR is evolving. Whether that will come, I don't know.

"There was the [Carlos] Baleba one the other week, which everyone thought wasn't a yellow card.

"It might gather ground but at the moment it's impossible.

"I think it's the amount of stoppages [which have stopped it being brought in]. It will evolve, we're in a better place than we were five years ago."

Dermot: No argument over Palace final whistle

INCIDENT: Rob Jones blows the final whistle at Selhurst Park with Jeremy Doku looking to counter-attack from a Crystal Palace corner.

DERMOT SAYS: "He blows up very early, doesn't he? They're 70 yards from goal.

"I don't see a lot of argument here. He's got so far to travel with the ball and the ref's got to blow the whistle at some point.

"He's looking to blow in a safe period. It's 70 yards from goal and I don't see anything other than that being a safe period."

Fulham 1-1 Arsenal

Dermot: VAR did well to take time over Saliba goal

INCIDENT: William Saliba's Arsenal equaliser at Fulham is awarded after a VAR check, having initially looked offside following Kai Havertz's header to tee him up.

DERMOT SAYS: "If you remember the infamous Arsenal-Brentford game, where the VAR gave up on the decision, they took a little bit longer here.

"They explained to the referee here that it would take a bit of time to check and get the lines on. It took a little bit of time but they got it right."

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