Ref Watch: Aston Villa's Jhon Duran entitled to red card against Newcastle, says Dermot Gallagher

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher assesses controversial moments from the Boxing Day action, including the red cards of Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.

Newcastle 3-0 Aston Villa

INCIDENT: Duran was sent off for appearing to send off Newcastle’s Fabian Schar. It took referee Anthony Taylor 30 seconds to show Duran a red card after the incident. Villa boss Unai Emery revealed after the match that the club would appeal Duran’s three-match suspension.

DERMOT SAYS: I thought it was a red card. People say he’s off balance because Schar pulls him and there will always be contact, but I thought he could avoid that. This is what Anthony Taylor saw.

What I like is that Taylor follows him, sees what happened and takes his time. This poses no problem to me since the ball is dead. He probably received advice from the assistants and the fourth official. He took his time, it’s not reckless. His right leg changes direction. This is what Anthony saw. I can see it. The assistant said he saw it too.

The decision was made in real time, no one went to a monitor like a CSI outage. The process was about human beings making the right decision.

The VAR looked at it. He felt the referee was right. Let’s say he sends it to the screen, and when you see it in slow motion, it looks really bad. So if Taylor had been sent there, I’m convinced he would have still said it was a red card.

Emery has repeatedly hinted at a three-match suspension. Is a three-match suspension too heavy for that? Maybe that’s why he’s so angry about this.

They would have to prove that the referee made a clear and obvious error, which makes the appeal quite difficult.

INCIDENT: Joelinton was booked at the end of the first half. Morgan Rogers felt himself being punched in the face here, but did he make light of it?

DERMOT SAYS: The referee handled this situation very well. Whether he should take action against Rogers is debatable. He certainly doesn’t punch him in the face, it’s not violent, but the player doesn’t have to do that.

Wolves 2-0 Man Utd

INCIDENT: Bruno Fernandes was sent off by referee Tony Harrington for a second yellow card. He received his first for bringing down Matheus Cunha. His second came after the break for a tackle on Nelson Semedo.

DERMOT SAYS: When you make a tackle like the first, you will always receive a yellow card. This is a bog standard. No attempt to play the ball. Tony Harrington did very well, he is really gaining confidence.

I don’t know why he makes the second tackle, it’s so far up the field. If you look closely, it’s not a wise tackle and it’s a yellow card. Everyone is disappointed when you get sent off, but this was one.

INCIDENT: Wolves scored their first goal directly from a corner. Andre Onana complained, suggesting Matt Doherty had obstructed him on the goal line. The goal was held.

DERMOT SAYS: Matt Doherty has every right to stand where he is. He’s not doing anything wrong. He is allowed to stand his ground.

Onana pushes Doherty in the back and Doherty makes no move towards him. There’s an arm from Doherty but his starting position was there, he didn’t step back or move back.

Southampton 0-1 West Ham

INCIDENT: West Ham’s Guido Rodriguez was shown a red card at Southampton. Lewis Smith was asked to reconsider the matter and overturned the appeal. Was it the right decision?

DERMOT SAYS: One hundred percent. This is where VAR really, really works. The referee thinks he slipped on both feet and takes him out. But when you look at him, he goes to pull away and doesn’t catch him. The referee takes one look and rightly says only yellow card.

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham

INCIDENT: Djed Spence was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a second yellow card. He received his first for throwing the ball. Does the second fault then justify an expulsion?

DERMOT SAYS: He doesn’t need to do it. This is not wise at 90+4, no need to do it. No intention of playing the ball, he paid for a moment of reckless anger earlier when he threw the ball.

INCIDENT: Tottenham called for a penalty as they believed Nottingham Forest defender Murillo had handled the ball in the box. What did you think of this Dermot?

DERMOT SAYS: He would be so angry if a penalty was given for this. It hits him, we all know he can’t move his arm, so it can’t be a penalty.

INCIDENT: Forest felt Fraser Forster was handling the ball outside his box but avoided any reprimand.

DERMOT SAYS: The thing to remember is that it is the ball, not Fraser Forster, that must remain in the box. If the ball is over the line, which it was, it doesn’t matter.

Liverpool 3-1 Leicester

INCIDENT: In Liverpool’s win over Leicester, there was an offside call that seemed to last forever, late on. Three minutes and 14 seconds in fact, but it was already reported on the ground. Does this just increase the argument for getting semi-automated offsides earlier?

DERMOT SAYS: There were two checks, that’s why it took so long. People say it’s infuriating, but that’s what they asked for. You have now given them the technology to make the right decision.

This is the process, this is what we are told, this is what we have seen. We have come a long way in five years, we have made much more precise decisions. It’s much, much better. Semi-automated offsides are a work in progress. Maybe if it takes time, maybe wait until next season.

When this is rolled out it will need to be 100 percent, at the moment small adjustments are needed.

INCIDENT: There was an early cry for a Leicester penalty at Liverpool. The ball hit Cody Gakpo’s hand from a corner, but was he in an unnatural position?

DERMOT SAYS: It would be so difficult to give. No one could see that there. There is no evidence that he handled the ball, so respect the decision made on the field. People don’t like to say that about referees, but common sense prevailed.