World-Class Referee Keith Hackett On Referee Action in the EPL This Weekend – Which Ref Got It Wrong? Who Got it Right?

In his latest column, longtime referee Keith Hackett discusses what happened over this past weekend in the EPL.

Hackett started officiating on the sidelines in the 1960s in England and is considered one of the top 100 referees of all time in a list maintained by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).  

A FIFA referee, Hackett has had the honor of refereeing at some of the most important soccer matches in history including the FA Cup Final at Wembley, European Championships as well as countless EPL games of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, QPR, West Ham United as well as at the Olympics.

All I can say is that this was not a good weekend for the referees officiating on the English Premier League.

There is no doubt that since the early retirement of Howard Webb and Mark Clattenburg, the group of referees is much weaker with only Michael Oliver performing consistently.

I highlight the games and my observations:

EPL Match: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR V CHELSEA

REFEREE GOT IT WRONG

Referee: Martin Atkinson

With Tottenham leading 2-0 referee Atkinson appeared to be in a good position to turn down Chelsea appeals for a penalty kick but replays showed that the referee had got it wrong.

Tottenham player Son Heung-Min running with the ball from the halfway line rounded a number of players to score a terrific goal.

EPL Match: FULHAM V SOUTHAMPTON

REFEREE GOT IT RIGHT

Referee: Michael Oliver

This proved to be a competitive game superbly officiated by Englands top referee Michael Oliver who at 33 years of age has a terrific career ahead of him.

His ability to apply a dynamic sprint gets him into great viewing positions and this produces accurate decision making.

EPL Match: WEST HAM UNITED V MANCHESTER CITY

REFEREE GOT IT RIGHT

Referee: Andre Marriner

Manchester City dominated this game and when it results in such a one sided affair, it is important that the referee maintains concentration.

Andre a very experienced official allowed the game to flow and played some excellent advantages.

EPL Match: WATFORD V LIVERPOOL

REFEREE GOT IT WRONG

Referee: Jon Moss

I have doubts about the ability of this referee to officiate at the elite level.

Watford had the ball in their opponents goal but it was correctly ruled out by an Assistant referees flag.

Then we had a critical moment in the game when a Watford player was fouled inside the penalty area and Moss made a big error in turning down appeals. A penalty kick would have been the correct award.

This was a turning point ion the game and Liverpool started to dominate play. The Liverpool captain Henderson received a second yellow card followed by the red and can have no complaints about the referees decision.

EPL Match: BRIGHTON V LEICESTER CITY

REFEREE GOT IT RIGHT

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

This referee is establishing his credentials and performs in a good consistent manner. Maddison of Leicester received a second yellow for an outrageous act of simulation his dive not deceiving the referee.

A very good performance from this official.

EPL Match: MANCHESTER UNITED V CRYSTAL PALACE

REFEREE GOT IT WRONG

Referee: Lee Mason

The talking point in this game was the Excessive Force challenge which should have resulted in a red card for Manchester Uniteds Fellani.

This was the worse piece of refereeing over the weekend.

Keith Hackett is the author of the new You Are the Ref 300 Footballing Conundrums, the You Are the Ref, the Ultimate Illustrated Guide to the Laws of Football and the You Are the Umpire. The amazing illustrations are by Paul Trevillion.

You Are The Ref is a cult classic comic strip in England.  SoccerToday is thrilled to bring this to our American soccer audience and share these stunning portraits of soccer stars from all eras. For anyone who has ever questioned a ref’s eyesight or grappled with a clearly ‘wrong’ call, now it is your turn!

According to David James, “Anyone who loves the game knows You Are The Ref.  Paul Trevillion’s brilliant art has been around for generations!”