Blackburn winger Martin Olsson has revealed he gambled on Mike Dean's fondness for awarding penalties - and should have been booked for doing so.
The 21-year-old Swede threw himself to the ground before Burnley keeper Brian Jensen could get near him during their weekend Premier League clash and believed he was getting a yellow card for his dive when the whistle was blown.
Instead, Dean awarded a spot kick, converted by David Dunn, as Blackburn clinched a 1-0 win at Turf Moor to keep the Clarets in the relegation zone, three points behind West Ham.
olsson
Not fouled: Martin Olsson goes down before Burnley keeper Brian Jensen touches him
But Olsson insists the problem is not him cheating but Dean's for not being stricter on him in the first place.
Olsson said: 'I knew that this referee had given more than double the amount of penalties compared to his colleagues, so I took a chance.
'Did I fall on purpose? I saw the goalkeeper was putting out his leg and maybe I overplayed my fall a little bit.
'When I heard the whistle, I thought I should get a yellow card.
'But at the same time, it's up to the referee to decide in that situation.'
The 21-year-old Swede threw himself to the ground before Burnley keeper Brian Jensen could get near him during their weekend Premier League clash and believed he was getting a yellow card for his dive when the whistle was blown.
Instead, Dean awarded a spot kick, converted by David Dunn, as Blackburn clinched a 1-0 win at Turf Moor to keep the Clarets in the relegation zone, three points behind West Ham.
olsson
Not fouled: Martin Olsson goes down before Burnley keeper Brian Jensen touches him
But Olsson insists the problem is not him cheating but Dean's for not being stricter on him in the first place.
Olsson said: 'I knew that this referee had given more than double the amount of penalties compared to his colleagues, so I took a chance.
'Did I fall on purpose? I saw the goalkeeper was putting out his leg and maybe I overplayed my fall a little bit.
'When I heard the whistle, I thought I should get a yellow card.
'But at the same time, it's up to the referee to decide in that situation.'