5 talking points from Manchester City’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur
By Thuya Kyaw
2. Refereeing mistakes continue to be a problem in the league
It is really hard to argue this wasn’t worthy of a penalty, as it can be clearly seen that Kyle Walker pushed Raheem Sterling to throw off his balance right before taking a shot. Yet, the referee Andre Marriner waved to play on and angered the majority of football fans worldwide.
It was blatantly obvious that it should’ve been a penalty, and even a sending off for Walker as he was the last defender and denied a clear goal scoring opportunity. However, Marriner somehow had a different view on the matter.
Just a minute later, the substitute Heung Min Son scored at the other end to equalize for Spurs. Had the correct decision been made, the game could’ve ended as a 3-1 victory for City.
This isn’t the first mistake Premier League referees have made this season. Mike Dean was sent to referee in the Championship following a series of awful mistakes, particularly the sending off of Sofiane Feghouli in West Ham’s home loss to Man United and the awarding of two soft penalties in Tottenham’s favor during their 4-1 win over Southampton.
Even Mark Clattenburg, who is regarded as the best in the league, has been criticized for his poor judgements in Man United’s draw against Burnley.
This has led to the league trying to aid its refs by implementing video support in games, and they are exploring their options to set it up by 2018/19 season.
Due to horrific refereeing decisions lately, additional video support can’t come soon enough.