Manchester United were lucky against West Ham, while Chelsea and Liverpool were on the wrong end of bad decisions at the weekend, according to our Ref Review panel.
Refereeing decisions are regularly the source of debate among fans, pundits, players and managers so this season a five-strong TEAMtalk panel will be passing judgement on every red card (or avoidance of one), every penalty and any other major incident every weekend.
We’ll also keep a tally of the major decisions to go for and against each team in an attempt to settle the never-ending debate about whether certain clubs are favoured more than others by Premier League referees.
Week 15
Bastian Schweinsteiger avoiding red card v West Ham: This incident was clearly missed by referee Mark Clattenburg. Had he have seen it, Schweinsteiger would surely have seen red for what appeared to be a very purposeful elbow into the throat of Reid. The likelihood is that he will now be banned retrospectively. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Marouane Fellaini avoiding red card v West Ham: Fellaini could also have seen red during the game when he planted his foot onto the leg of James Tomkins after arriving late for a challenge. This one split the panel, but a three-to-two majority eventually ruled that Fellaini should have gone. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Riyad Mahrez second goal v Swansea City: Some offside calls are so tight that it’s hard to criticise an assistant referee for getting them wrong. This one, however, was clear cut. There was no excuse for not spotting that the Algerian was well offside. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Leon Britton avoiding red card v Leicester City: On a bad day for the officials, Britton was hugely fortunate to escape a red card for a high tackle on N’Golo Kante. Four out of five on the panel felt the Swansea City midfielder should have been sent off. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Watford penalty v Norwich City: Alex Tettey got a fair bit of the ball when challenging Odion Ighalo inside the box, but unfortunately for the Norwich City man he got a whole lot of the Watford striker first. Verdict: Correct decision
Odion Ighalo disallowed goal v Norwich City: This was a much tighter decision than the Mahrez one, but replays showed that Ighalo had just about been kept onside by Robbie Brady. Verdict: Incorrect decision
James McClean avoiding red card v Tottenham: Bizarrely, McClean was bemused to have even been booked for fouling Mousa Dembele, but his challenge was so high and made with such force that all five of our panel felt he should have been shown a straight red card. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Chelsea penalty appeal v Bournemouth: Jose Mourinho, of course, felt that Chelsea should have had a penalty when Diego Costa’s low cross hit the arm of Simon Francis, who had slid in to block the cutback. Nobody on our panel agreed with the Blues boss, however. Verdict: Correct decision
Glenn Murray goal v Chelsea: This was even tighter than the Ighalo incident, but after much debate and several replays our panel eventually decided that Murray was offside – just – when heading in Bournemouth’s winner at Stamford Bridge. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Alberto Moreno disallowed goal v Newcastle United: After crucial three incorrect offside calls on Saturday, there was another one on Sunday when Moreno’s brilliant volley was incorrectly ruled out, with Paul Dummett clearly playing the left-back onside. Verdict: Incorrect decision
For and Against
Team | For | Against | Total For/Against |
1. Leicester | Nine | Three | +6 |
2. Liverpool | Seven | Two | +5 |
3. Man Utd | Four | None | +4 |
4. Arsenal | Six | Three | +3 |
5. Newcastle | Five | Ttwo | +3 |
6. Man City | Six | Four | +2 |
7. Tottenham | Three | One | +2 |
8. Aston Villa | One | One | 0 |
9. Everton | One | One | 0 |
10. Sunderland | Two | Two | 0 |
11. Watford | Two | Two | 0 |
12. Crystal Palace | One | Two | -1 |
13. Norwich | One | Two | -1 |
14. Chelsea | Four | Six | -2 |
15. Stoke | Two | Four | -2 |
16. Swansea | One | Three | -2 |
17. Southampton | Two | Six | -4 |
18. West Brom | One | Five | -4 |
19. West Ham | One | Six | -5 |
20. Bournemouth | One | Seven | -6 |
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