Ref Watch: Should Man Utd have conceded a penalty against Brighton? Scott McTominay lucky to escape red? | Football News

Dermot Gallagher dissects the big flashpoints from the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Manchester United 1-2 Brighton

Should Brighton have had a penalty?

INCIDENT: Lisandro Martinez challenges Danny Welbeck inside the box but referee Paul Tierney deems it to be a coming-together and no penalty is awarded to Brighton.

VERDICT: Incorrect decision.

DERMOT SAYS: I think it’s a penalty. I think he’s rash, he can’t win the ball. I don’t know why he makes a challenge like that on Welbeck. He’s in control of the ball and Martinez doesn’t have to make that challenge.

It’s just one the referee hasn’t seen as we’ve seen it. I think the referee would’ve given the penalty had been able to see the replays that we have.

On the day, he hasn’t seen it as a penalty. Looking at the replays, I can’t argue for why it isn’t a penalty. There’s been talk about raising the threshold at the weekend.

Everybody has got to find their way, and you have to accept on the opening day there are going to be some teething problems and decisions that people aren’t going to like. This is one.

STEPHEN WARNOCK: The frustrating thing for me there is that Dermot is saying there are teething problems on the first day of the season, and without being disrespectful, that is a simple refereeing decision.

That is not teething problems, that is a poor decision, and for me, why not go to VAR or what are VAR talking about? Now, if the referee relays the information: ‘I think it is shoulder-to-shoulder’, and the VAR come back and say: ‘It is not shoulder-to-shoulder, you’ve made an error. You’ve missed it.’

That is what VAR is there for. I don’t understand the decision at all. I was more baffled the more I watched it, thinking what is the conversation going on between them. It’s very odd.

There are four people here who all think it is a penalty. That is where it is even more frustrating because it is clear and it is obvious to all of us, and to everyone else that is watching it. How is it not clear and obvious to someone sat in the VAR booth when that is their job to make sure that decision is right? That is the frustration.

Again we spoke so often last year about consistency.

Was McTominay lucky to escape a red card?

INCIDENT: Scott McTominay is shown a yellow card for a foul on Moises Caicedo, but was the Manchester United midfielder fortunate to escape further punishment?

VERDICT: Incorrect decision.

DERMOT SAYS: I think he’s very lucky. Before the season started, there were discussions about contact about the studs with the ankle and what the protocol is.

The only thing that’s saved him is that I think the referee is so close to the incident. So he doesn’t gain speed and momentum of the intensity. I think that’s the only reason it’s been given as a yellow card.

STEPHEN WARNOCK: A lot of the time it is just football – that you make a genuine attempt for the ball and just mis-timed the tackle.

Timing is everything in football. Timing of runs, timing of tackles. You’ve got to get them right and there are more incidents from the weekend where the timing is wrong.

“The timing here is that he actually goes to kick the ball but actually goes over the top of it, then it allows you to brush over the top of the ball and then onto the shin.

He is a very lucky boy.

Fulham 2-2 Liverpool

Should Fulham have been awarded a penalty?

INCIDENT: Aleksandar Mitrovic goes down inside the box under a challenge from Virgil van Dijk and referee Andrew Madley points to the spot. But was it the correct call?

DERMOT SAYS: “This is all about timing. It’s just a mistimed tackle and it’s a foul. Virgil van Dijk dangles a leg, the ball goes to the left and he catches Mitrovic. It’s a penalty.

VERDICT: Correct decision.

STEPHEN WARNOCK: No arguments on this one. I think the big thing on this incident is when you see Van Dijk’s knee drop back. So that’s where you see the actual clash of the legs.

A lot of people were struggling to see it at first but when you slow it down and get the right angle of it, you just see that knee pop back and that is what shows you the contact from Van Dijk.

It was very unlike the Liverpool defender to dive in like that but brilliant from Mitrovic.

Should VAR have been used to disallow Fulham’s first goal?

INCIDENT: Jordan Henderson feels he is fouled in the build-up to Mitrovic’s first goal. Should the incident have been referred to VAR?

DERMOT SAYS: It’s the referee’s choice, and he said no. There were 17 seconds between that incident and the goal being scored. So the VAR, when they’ve checked to see if there’s an offside or a foul in the attacking phase, you can’t go back that far – it’s too far.

Seventeen seconds is too long. He’s not there to re-referee the game. It is asked, ‘is this all part of the same attacking phase that directly involves the goal?’ And the answer is no.

VERDICT: Correct decision.

Leeds 2-1 Wolves

Should Leeds have had a penalty?

INCIDENT: Rasmus Kristensen clearly gets the ball first inside the box but is clattered by Jose Sa. VAR does look at it but nothing given.

DERMOT SAYS: This is a typical goalkeeper challenge that never gets penalised. People say to me, ‘why isn’t it a penalty?’ Well, it’s never been a penalty.

If the mindset is that this should be a penalty, it needs to be announced by the PGMOL. If they start giving penalties for this, there will be uproar as it’s been happening forever in football.

I can’t remember a foul being given for this. If they start giving penalties for this, then they have to come out and say that these incidents will lead to a penalty.

VERDICT: Correct decision (for now).

Everton 0-1 Chelsea

Could Godfrey’s serious injury have been avoided?

INCIDENT: Ben Godfrey sustained a fractured fibula in attempting to tackle Kai Havertz – but the game was allowed to play on despite the ball going out of play leading up to the incident. Why wasn’t the whistle blown sooner?

DERMOT SAYS: The difficulty is that the assistant is so far up the field. He’s in line with where he should be to check the offside, and he can’t get back in time to get a good angle of it the ball has gone out.

Pickford’s body has shielded the ball as well so it’s really unfortunate. We’re talking about this because of the consequence and not the decision.

Was it the correct decision to award Chelsea a penalty?

INCIDENT: Ben Chilwell goes to ground under a challenge from Abdoulaye Doucoure inside the box and Chelsea are awarded a penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I think this is similar to the Welbeck incident in the United game. If you shove a player in the back like that, you’re going to give a penalty away.

VERDICT: Correct decision.