Match Officials Mic'd Up: Was Jhon Duran's red card for Aston Villa against Newcastle the right decision by Anthony Taylor?

In a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on Boxing Day , Aston Villa's Jhon Duran was shown a straight red card after a foul on Fabian Schar; however, in new audio on Match Officials Mic'd Up, two on-field officials advised Anthony Taylor that it was not a red card offense, so was the decision right?

Tuesday 7 January 2025 18:17, UK

Anthony Taylor sent off Jhon Duran in Aston Villa’s Boxing Day defeat at Newcastle – despite two of his on-field colleagues advising him that the challenge on Fabian Schar was not a red card.

Duran was shown a straight red card by Taylor after he was deemed to have deliberately stood on Schar.

The decision left Aston Villa manager Unai Emery fuming after the game, who said: "Three matches for this red card is hard to accept. There was no action with the intention to kick him.

"We are working a lot with him to teach him. He is going the way we decide for him but the referees have to be fair, taking decisions with time."

Aston Villa were later unsuccessful in an appeal to overturn a three-match ban.

In the latest edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up, PGMOL chief Howard Webb took a look at the incident, including the match audio from the officials involved.

What the officials said

Referee Taylor: "Tackle..."

4th official: "It looks accidental from here."

Assistant Referee Two: "So Duran steps on the back. For me, it's a reckless act rather than anything more. He's sort of trying to stop and then lands in the wrong place."

Referee Taylor: "Ok..."

Assistant Referee Two: "So, Duran caution."

Referee Taylor: "Hang on, he [Schar] is holding somewhere else here [on his body].

Assistant Referee One: "He is holding between his legs."

Referee Taylor: "I'm going red card."

VAR: "Ok, we've got a red card on-field."

Referee Taylor presents the red card and says: "Nowhere near the ball."

VAR: "Checking the on-field decision of red card. Ok, so there's a clear action of the studs, raking studs, across the back."

Referee Taylor, speaking to the players: "If it's wrong I'll change it, ok?"

VAR: "Ok, show me that once more? We've got raking studs through the glute and up the back."

Replay Operator: "I can show you a wider angle if you want?"

VAR: "Please..."

Referee Taylor, speaking to players: "He's nowhere near the ball and he's put his studs in him."

VAR takes ten seconds looking at the wider angle and says: "I'm happy. Tayls, confirming on-field decision of red card. Check complete."

Webb's verdict: The referee was best placed to see the incident

PGMOL chief Howard Webb:

"You can hear on the comms a range of opinions. The fourth official makes a comment based on what he's seen, the assistant referee suggests it might be a yellow card. But the best placed match official by a long way is the referee, who is right behind the situation.

"He sees Fabian Schar make that clean tackle - and then Duran takes a few steps and then moves his right leg across from right to left and onto the back of Schar, who is on the floor. He deemed that to be a deliberate action by Duran and one of violent conduct.

"It's always hard to read players' minds, you have to judge the actions that we see, the physical evidence to make our judgements. And in this situation, the referee saw the action, felt it was a red card offence.

"And the VAR saw the movement of that leg onto the back of Schar and didn't feel that the on-field referee's call was obviously wrong - he probably agreed with it - and it stayed as an on-field call as a red card."

Owen then argues a point - as devil's advocate - that Duran becomes unbalanced and questions whether that would that affect the thinking?

"You need a level of certainty to send a player off, the referee had that. He's got a great view of that, he would have seen a dynamic motion when the two players are going through and challenging for the ball.

"Then he sees to him, what he felt was the right leg coming from out to in, going somewhere else, it could have continued going past the player or to the left or right of the player.

"But the referee felt the action of the right leg coming down on the back of the opponent's back was violent conduct and he sent him off. It was always going to be check complete once that referee's call had been given as a red card for violent conduct."

Webb discusses more incidents on Match Officials Mic'd Up

Howard Webb also took at look at five other Premier League incidents on the latest edition of Match Officials Mic'd Up. Hit play on the videos below to hear his thoughts...

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