After Kasper Schmeichel called out Dermot Gallagher, the former Premier League ref has his say...
Friday 27 December 2019 18:52, UK
Were Leicester hard done by for Liverpool's penalty award? And should Scott McTominay have been sent off in Man Utd's win over Newcastle?
Dermot Gallagher, with the help of Mark Schwarzer, is here to run the rule over the big Boxing Day decisions in the Premier League, after being called out by Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel...
INCIDENT: Caglar Soyuncu is penalised for a handball in the penalty area, with Leicester 1-0 down against Liverpool. Referee Michael Oliver gave the penalty, to Leicester's dismay. James Milner scored as Liverpool went on to win 4-0.
Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said after the game: "I think it was a bit tough. We were in the game until the referee had to make himself a hero, and from then on we lost our composure.
"What's his name, Dermot [Gallagher], he'll be on Sky saying 'oh, it's a great decision, the referee was brave' or something like that.
"I don't know what he's supposed to do. His arm's down by his side, it's been flicked off someone at the front post, he's got less than a millisecond to react."
So, what did Dermot think?
DERMOT'S VIEW: "I think it is handball. The ball comes a long way, and he has a long time to see it. He leans into the ball, Michael has a perfect position, and you could not have a referee with a better view than that. He has no choice but to give a handball. He does try to take his arm away, but the damage is done."
MARK SCHWARZER'S VIEW: "I agree. Behind him, you've got Sadio Mane lining up to play the ball. It was a slight leaning to the ball. It's unfortunate, but I think it's a penalty as well."
INCIDENT: This incident wasn't quite as clear for both Dermot or Schwarzer... on a yellow card, Scott McTominay pulls back Miguel Almiron by his shirt as he turned deep inside the Newcastle half near the touchline, but gets away with just a foul by referee Kevin Friend.
DERMOT'S VIEW: "I don't think it's a second yellow, and the reason why is the place it is on the pitch [deep in Newcastle's half]. I spoke to many, many people on Boxing Day, who said if you pull someone's shirt back it's a yellow card, but when you look at it, Almiron is under pressure. He was on the edge of his own penalty area, and has turned back to the touchline.
"I think when McTominay grabs his shirt, he's actually done Almiron a favour. He'll take the free-kick. If that was at the other end, if Almiron had been on the edge of the penalty area attacking in, it's a totally different situation, because he'd be stopping a promising attack. Our mental approach to that now is whether he's breaking up a promising attack, and that is not seen as breaking up a promising attack."
SCHWARZER'S VIEW: "It's 100 per cent a second yellow card. It's a professional foul he's slowing the game down, and it has to be another yellow card. You set a dangerous precedent if you allow that without a yellow. He's intentionally pulled his shirt."
