Newcastle defender Fabian Schar unlucky to be sent off against Arsenal – Ref Watch
Plus: Should Granit Xhaka have also been red carded at St James’ Park? Were Southampton right to be aggrieved with Jannik Vestergaard’s sending-off against Leicester on Friday Night Football? And could Sheffield United’s John Fleck have been dismissed as well at Spurs?
Former Premier League referee
Monday 3 May 2021 14:05, UK
In the latest Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher says Newcastle defender Fabian Schar was unfortunate to be dismissed against Arsenal on Super Sunday.
Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal
INCIDENT: Steve Bruce was unhappy with the red card shown to Fabian Schar for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli.
DERMOT’S VERDICT: Unlucky to be sent off.
DERMOT SAYS: It was a little bit unlucky. I can understand Mike Dean, he has pointed that he has gone through with his studs, but when you look, I do not think the studs actually made contact forcefully. I think he has caught him on the boot, it is not as if it was the Achilles and he was a little bit unlucky, but what I would say is Mike Dean has a far, far better view where he was than I have.
INCIDENT: Granit Xhaka elbows Sean Longstaff when already on a yellow card.
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DERMOT’S VERDICT: No complaints had Xhaka be given a second yellow.
DERMOT SAYS: I thought it was a body check. I saw that he had already had a yellow card for a hack at Allan Saint-Maximin earlier in the game and I see this and think the referee [Mike Dean] has got a decision to make – does he give him a last warning, does he give him a second yellow card and send him off? He chose the former, but had he chosen the latter, Xhaka could not have complained.
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Southampton 1-1 Leicester City
INCIDENT: Ralph Hasenhuttl was very unhappy with the straight red card shown to Jannik Vestergaard for a foul on Jamie Vardy as he did not think it was a clear goalscoring opportunity, while the defender won the ball.
DERMOT’S VERDICT: Correct decision if the referee deems it a foul on Vardy.
DERMOT SAYS: The whole basis of whether this is a red card is whether it is a foul or not. There is no doubt he gets a nick on the ball, and the referee [Robert Jones] judges that he follows through with his studs and caught him on the ankle and is a foul. The minute he gives a foul, it becomes a red card because Vardy may not be in possession of the ball, but he can very quickly get possession of the ball because it is in front of him. If you see where the actual tackle is made, the ball is within Vardy’s playing distance.
Tottenham 4-0 Sheffield United
INCIDENT: John Fleck catches Giovani Lo Celso, but VAR Peter Bankes opts not to send off the Blades midfielder.
DERMOT’S VERDICT: Only John Fleck knows if he could have avoided Lo Celso.
DERMOT SAYS: I cannot read Fleck’s mind. I’ve said many, many times when players do this, only he knows what is in his mind. You look at the pictures and he is tangled up, low and some of the pictures it looks like he is trying to get over him, he catches him there is no doubt about that. But one of the pictures is quite damning when you see he actually catches him twice, although only Fleck knows his intentions, whether he could have avoided him and if it was a tangle he could not have avoided.
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