Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher is back to assess the most important incident of the defeat of Aston Villa at Manchester United …
Manchester United 2-0 Aston Villa
Incident: Aston Villa thought they had taken the lead in the second half when Morgan Rogers poked the ball free from Altay Bayindir and curled into an open net, only for referee Thomas Bramall to allow the goal not to allow an alleged error on Manchester United.
The referee has awarded a free kick to United, with Bayindir supposed to check the ball.
Dermot says: “There are many things to debate. The keeper loses the ball, but as soon as the referee blows his whistle, the game has ended – that is where the damage has been caused. Rogers' Scot does not count. If the referee lasts only one second, the landscape and VAR can go.
“The VAR checks when the flute was blown, not the goal. That is the most important problem.
“If he had waited, the time is still his and can make as many decisions as he wants. He can ask his assistants. Then he can ask VAR. He may have said:” It is a mistake, “we would have accepted.
“He just didn't give himself time to think – that's his only mistake.”
The not – -access goal that Villa CL cost …
Was Villa right to question Bramall's experience?
Aston Villa has filed an official complaint with PGMOL about the selection of Bramall for their Premier League Final Day match against Man Utd, who lost Champions League-Chasing Villa after a goal that had been excluded.
On Sunday evening, Villa confirmed that a complaint had been filed and said: “Aston Villa can confirm that the club wrote the PGMOL to express concerns about the selection process of match officials after today's game after the game with Manchester United in Old Trafford.
“With such a high effort around today's game, the club believes that a more experienced referee should have been appointed. Of the 10 referees to officially officiate the other side of the Premier League today, Mr. Bramall was the next.”
Former Premier League referee Gallagher said: “First of all, 17 officials were not available because some were excluded. Chris Kavanagh, for example, described the play-off final of the championship on Saturday, so it is impossible to referee consecutive matches. That is a very experienced referee.
“John Brooks, a very experienced FIFA referee, is injured. Paul Tierney, another very experienced referee, is injured. They also do not try to send the same referee to a team in 30 days, so that rules of other refs who have referred Villa and Man Utd.
“It's not as easy as you think.
“Going back to Bramall, let's not start cramming a finger at him because he had 11 Premier League matches and 12 in the championship. Those are 23 games at the highest level.
“The Man City vs Bournemouth -Game contains two red cards. It was a difficult game, but he received both decisions correctly, which shows that he can make big decisions. He separated the game where Liverpool won the championship, a big game.
“He has been there for three years, he is coming through. Let's face it, we are talking about one decision from a possible 300.”
'The game needed a more experienced official'
Stephen Warnock on Sky Sports News:
“I think you need a larger character in the game. You go to Old Trafford and Aston Villa hunts Champions League football. There may be £ 100 million on the line.
“There may be that one moment when you need a big conversation, you need a calm head and you need experience.
“Unfortunately for Bramall it happened, and now Aston Villa pays the price for that.
“It is a huge decision. The referee has made a mistake, it is a bad mistake and he will learn from it, but for a game of that size … It is not that it is not acceptable because it happens.
“I would delete VAR tomorrow and I would rather go back to referee games, and accept that things even themselves in the course of a season.
“Although VAR is there, that is the moment when you have to breathe the game. That is where you relate to that experience to be able to do that.
“He just had it wrong. In retrospect, a high official can make the same decision. However, you would like to think that they would have given themselves that breathing space to think about the situation.”