Pickford challenge on VVD not looked at because it came after the offside Richarlson incident also came after a separate foul but still a red card?
Well, Michael Oliver gave the Richarlison red on the field, whereas he didn't think Pickford was a red. Don't know what VAR was doing but Pickford should have gone. I was wrong about him not being able to be sent off.
Thanks Tom So could he have sent off Pickford but also give no penalty (because offside came first) ?
Our resident referees both explained that no action could be taken on Pickford because the ball was dead. But Richarlison was sent off for an offence that was committed after the whistle was blown for a previous foul. Ridiculous inconsistency.
He hasn't got the Marco Tardelli celebration though. *Look up 1982 World Cup Final for those that are two young to remember
Really? And a clear and obvious error? Game's gone if we're giving that as a pen imo. It's a contact sport. On beeb website it says they could only have sent him off if no genuine attempt for the ball. I think there was in this case tbh.
that was my first fav football memory. followed by the 86 game France v Brazil maybe quarter final and Socrates was so tired he missed the ball instead of scoring. Think it was a bit like Gazza in 96 semi when his legs weren’t quite long enough
I thought Match of the Day was interesting last night, not only for the Pickford incident and the disallowed Liverpool goal which seemed hard to understand in both instances, but more for the poor quality of defending all around. I felt that the 2nd Saints goal showed Chelsea's defence at it's most calamitous and the third goal we conceded looked soft too. The game between Newcastle and Man Utd became a farce for the home team towards the end with the Reds looking effective every time they went forward. (That said, the Fernandes goal looks like a Goal of the Season contender already.) Even Liverpool seemed to lack the finesse of last season in defence. We appear to be seeing this week after week this season and from the "better" teams too. During the restart in the summer, the excuse seemed to be rustiness amongst players and I am not sure this is the case in October. When coupled with the illogical decisions sometimes given by VAR and the lack of fans, the shoddy defending has really changed the sport for me this season. The fans bring an edge to a match which cannot be replicated and their absence only serves to highlight the failings of VAR. I think it was Neil Warnock who made some controversial comments about VAR a few weeks ago and I concur that it is ruining the game albeit not for the reasons originally predicted. It was supposed to have been introduced to rule out controversy when the reality is that it has merely added a further layer. The supposed delay to play mooted as an initial problem with VAR seems to be small beer in comparison with how technology is interpreting off-side , for example. Most goals seem to have to be checked for offside which might not have happened previously. In a nutshell, VAR has not improved consistency and almost seems to have had an adverse effect. I am glad to have football back yet I feel it is very much a qualified success. It is fun seeing some of the eccentric final results and the fact that this season's league is totally unpredictable to an often alarming degree such as the Villa result against Man Utd can be amusing. However, I was worried that rather than showing the Prem to be the best league in the world, in it's current manifestation I feel some of the performances by players and referees is starting to make it lack credibility. It is almost like something a FIFA computer game might throw up! Nearly every team seems guilty of a performance which is well below par - the Saints v Spurs game being the best example for us. I am not convinced that would have happened with a crowd present. Everyone knows that with fans in the ground, the intimidation factor will kick in and the results will return to a degree of normality. At this point in time the Prem is in danger of turning into a parody of itself. VAR needs to be ditched and I cannot wait until Covid is over to allow fans in to the grounds. I am not sure how the general poor defending will improve and think it is perhaps a symptom of the empty grounds.
Yes, in theory this should work to our advantage; every team seems to have forgotten how to defend this season - whereas we have been doing it for years now
I think this explains why I was rubbish at football - no crowds watching when I played. I'm sure I'd have been a great left back if I'd had thousands of people shouting at me
I just looked at the PL table, it seems that Man Utd’s late flurry had the bonus consequence of pushing us up to the top half for the moment.
Could Sheffield United v Fulham become the first 0-0 of the season? For me it has 0-0 written all over it.
