Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher assesses the controversial moments from Boxing Day action, including the red cards for Aston Villa's Jhon Duran and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes.
Newcastle 3-0 Aston Villa
INCIDENT: Duran was sent off for appearing to kick at Newcastle's Fabian Schar. It took referee Anthony Taylor 30 seconds to show Duran a red card after the incident. Villa boss Unai Emery announced after the match that the club will appeal against Duran's three-match ban.
DERMOT SAYS: I thought it was a red card. People say he is out of balance because Schar is pulling on him and that there will always be contact, but I thought he could avoid that. That's what Anthony Taylor saw.
What I like about it is that Taylor keeps track, sees what happened and takes her time. I don't have a problem with that because the ball is dead. He probably got some input from the assistants and the fourth official. He took his time, it wasn't rushed. His right leg changes direction. That's what Anthony saw. I can see that. The assistant said he saw it too.
The decision was made in real time, no one went to a monitor like in a CSI jam. The process was about people making the right decision.
The VAR looked at it. He thought the referee was right. Let's say he sends it to the screen, and when you see it in slow motion, it looks really bad. So if Taylor was sent there I'm confident he would still have said it was a red card.
Emery continued to hint at a three-match ban. Is a three-match suspension too much for that? That might be a reason why he's so angry about it.
They would have to prove that the referee made a clear and obvious error – which makes the appeal quite difficult.
INCIDENT: Joelinton was shown a yellow card at the end of the first half. Morgan Rogers felt like he was getting punched in the face here, but did he make a bit of a meal of it?
DERMOT SAYS: The referee handled this very well. Whether he should take action against Rogers is debatable. He certainly doesn't punch him in the face, it's not violent, but the player doesn't have to do that.
Wolves 2-0 Man Utd
INCIDENT: Bruno Fernandes was sent off by referee Tony Harrington for a second yellow card. He received his first for taking down Matheus Cunha. His second came after the break after a tackle on Nelson Semedo.
DERMOT SAYS: If you make a tackle like the first one, you always get a yellow card. It is a standard version. No attempt to play the ball. Tony Harrington did really well, he's really growing in confidence.
I don't know why he's making the second tackle, it's so far down the field. If you look at it closely, it's not a sensible tackle and a yellow card. Everyone is disappointed when you get sent away, but it was one.
INCIDENT: Wolves score their first goal straight from a corner kick. Andre Onana complained and suggested Matt Doherty had interfered with him on the goal line. The goal stood.
DERMOT SAYS: Matt Doherty has every right to be where he is. He's not doing anything wrong. He can hold his own.
Onana actually pushes Doherty in the back, and Doherty makes no move toward him. There's an arm from Doherty, but his starting position was there, he didn't go back and back.
Southampton 0-1 West Ham
INCIDENT: A red card was shown to West Ham's Guido Rodriguez at Southampton. Lewis Smith was asked to look into this again and quashed the call. Was that the right decision?
DERMOT SAYS: One hundred percent. This is where VAR really, really works. The referee thinks he slipped in with both feet and takes him out. But when you look at it, it pulls back and doesn't catch it. The referee takes a look and rightly only gives yellow.
Nottm Forest 1-0 Tottenham
INCIDENT: Djed Spence was sent off for a second yellow card in injury time of the second half. He got his first for throwing the ball away. Did the second violation justify an exclusion?
DERMOT SAYS: He doesn't have to do it. It is not wise at 90+4, there is no need to do it. He has no intention of playing the ball, he's getting paid for a rash moment of anger earlier when he threw the ball away.
INCIDENT: Tottenham appealed for a penalty because they thought Nottingham Forest defender Murillo handled the ball in the penalty area. What did you think of this Dermot?
DERMOT SAYS: He would be so angry if there was a punishment for this. It just hits him, we all know he can't move his arm so it can't be a punishment.
INCIDENT: Forest felt Fraser Forster handled the ball outside his penalty area but avoided any reprimand.
DERMOT SAYS: The thing to remember is that it is the ball, not Fraser Forster, that must remain in the penalty area. If the ball is above the line, whatever it was, it doesn't matter.
Liverpool 3-1 Leicester
INCIDENT: During Liverpool's win over Leicester there was a late offside that seemed to last forever. Three minutes and fourteen seconds even, but it had already been flagged on the field. Does this only strengthen the argument for being semi-automatically offside sooner?
DERMOT SAYS: There were two checks, that's why it took so long. People say it's infuriating, but this is what people asked for. Now you've given them the technology to make the right decision.
This is the process, this is what we are told, this is what we have seen. We have come a long way in five years, we have made much more accurate decisions. It's much, much better. Semi-automated offside situations are a work in progress. Maybe if it's going to take a long time, maybe wait until next season.
When this is rolled out it should be 100 percent, but at the moment minor adjustments are still needed.
INCIDENT: There were early calls for a Leicester penalty at Liverpool. The ball hit Cody Gakpo's hand from a corner, but was it in an unnatural position?
DERMOT SAYS: It would be so hard to give. No one could see that there. There is no evidence that he handled the ball, so stand by the decision on the field. People don't like to say this about referees, but common sense prevailed.
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