It was another enthralling weekend of Premier League action and as always the decisions of referees have baffled audiences. Let us take a look at some of the decisions that created the most controversy
The incident: The ball seems to hit the arm of Phillip Billing after a header from Gabriel. A penalty is not given.
I am surprised Arsenal did not receive a penalty in their win against Bournemouth they were many incidents but for me, this was the strongest. Billing’s arm was not in a natural position and was away from his body. Despite how close he is to Gabriel there is no reason for his arm to be there as its position is not a natural result of jumping. It was a poor decision and could have had implications later on in the season if Arsenal had failed to get the winning goal.
The incident: Antoine Semenyo is in the Arsenal half ahead of kick-off rendering him offside, Bournemouth go ahead and score after 11 seconds.
This is a strange one because Semenyo is offside and the kick-off should have been retaken but at the same time he does not interfere with play at all and is not part of the move that results in the goal. Strictly speaking, the goal should have not happened because the game should have been stopped and the kick-off redone but at the same time he did not influence the play so disallowing the goal would have been harsh. Ideally, the referees should be quicker to spot these and stop play immediately but this is one mistake I think we can let slide. If he had contributed to the goal, however, I would hope the goal is disallowed.
The incident: Alisson trips Bruno Fernandes whilst trying to recover the ball. A penalty is not given.
I believe Bruno Fernandes cost his team here. Premier League referees have been advised not to give penalties when the fall does not seem to match the contact and I believe that Fernandes fits this criterion. He almost theatrically throws himself to the ground making it easier for the referee to ignore him and the decision to go against him. If he had been stronger in trying to play the ball he would have been more likely to get the decision.