Ref Watch

[BringBackSwales]

Totally agree, we got one brief showing it and certainly did look handball, not touching his chest beforehand. The ref made such a strong and immediate case for it not to be a pen, it was never going to be overruled by VAR.

How come anything positive for us gets reviewed to fuck, more lines than the London Underground, yet when something might be in our favour, such as handball or foul in the area, not even a reply. Premier league and UEFA are as bent as each other. How anyone can think that **** had a good game is beyond me. He did what he needed to, which included letting Chelsea get away with a lot that were given as free kicks when we fid the same, and allowing chelsea to time waste to fuck. I imagine Mendy is still lying on the ground now. The handball (or not) and the sending off of Rudiger (or not) were the two big decisions, absolutely clear which way both would go with this ref. As for uefa screwing English clubS over, which other than us does this apply to?

 

[MillionMilesAway]

The ref was idiosyncratic, but fine. Could have been a couple more cards, but it wouldn't have changed much.

Azpilicueta's playacting was so obvious even BT noted he immediately sprinted back to position. Fair enough if the ref thought it was a serious issue, but it was clearly just a sore clash. Jorginho was also called out by BT for overreacting.

The long shot of the 'handball' looked as if it hit the chest first to me. It's only an offence if the view is that he was making his body bigger - it looked to me that it hit his upper arm off his chest, and that the arm was in a reasonable position. Seemed okay to me.

Chelsea obviously cottoned on that a touch and a fall brought a freekick (just as against Leicester in the league), and they played to that. Keep the ball, invite a challenge, fall over. I think a lot of the irritation from Mahrez was that Chelsea hands were pulling at him all the time.

Rudiger's block on de Bruyne is an awkward one. At first sight it looked like a sort of whiplash injury, a yellow was probably right for that. The later pictures of the shiner strongly suggest shoulder-to-head - I've no idea where that falls in football nowadays - hitting someone accidentally with an arm when jumping for the ball would be yellow usually, but in rugby you'd be sent off immediately. I don't think Rudiger intended to contact the head.

 

[homerdog]

The way the City players reacted tells you it was handball, they all appealed immediately. VAR was never going to overrule the referee after he made such a show of it not being handball, which I guess is why we didn't see a decent replay.

He also fell for Chelsea's cynical antics, so in my opinion that makes it a poor and weak performance.

 

[Chris in London]

Reading on here that the ref had a great game. Stood behind the goal it felt very different-

Looked like a very clear handball from James. Didn’t show a replay in the ground, but first instinct was he controlled it with his forearm

It looked very much like Rudiger deliberately took KDB out, again only saw it in real time, no replay in the ground, but it was surely either accidental and no card, or deliberate and a red card?

Chelsea constantly time wasting and no yellow cards or enforcement from the ref, I thought Mendy was in danger of falling asleep the amount of time he spent lying on the ground

Seemed to give them the majority of the free kicks

It was plainly deliberate. It left KDB with a huge black eye from rudiger shouldering his face, needing to be substituted and with suspected concussion. It was plainly dangerous and should have been a red.

 

[Chris in London]

The ref was idiosyncratic, but fine... I don't think Rudiger intended to contact the head.

That’s a bit like saying Mane didn’t intend to cut Eddie’s face open

 

[Gundog’s Gundog]

The guy was a fucking numpty but there’s a mardarse culture in the game now - why the fuck did he stop the game when Azpil feigned an injury to his knee ? So what if you’ve hurt your fucking knee it’s a man’s game, a contact sport for highly trained athletes - play on.

 

[mosssideblue]

How come anything positive for us gets reviewed to fuck, more lines than the London Underground, yet when something might be in our favour, such as handball or foul in the area, not even a reply. Premier league and UEFA are as bent as each other. How anyone can think that **** had a good game is beyond me. He did what he needed to, which included letting Chelsea get away with a lot that were given as free kicks when we fid the same, and allowing chelsea to time waste to fuck. I imagine Mendy is still lying on the ground now. The handball (or not) and the sending off of Rudiger (or not) were the two big decisions, absolutely clear which way both would go with this ref. As for uefa screwing English clubS over, which other than us does this apply to?

Agree with all of that

 

[decmancity]

I particularly enjoyed all the Spanish refs having a laugh and joke with that dickhead azpilicueta at the end.

James could have picked that ball up and kicked it away and we never would have got the pen.

 

[Bantamgaz]

The guy was a fucking numpty but there’s a mardarse culture in the game now - why the fuck did he stop the game when Azpil feigned an injury to his knee ? So what if you’ve hurt your fucking knee it’s a man’s game, a contact sport for highly trained athletes - play on.

It’s the way he went down that probably alerted him ........ if players are gonna fake serious injuries then just book them

 

[Mr HJ]

The guy was a fucking numpty but there’s a mardarse culture in the game now - why the fuck did he stop the game when Azpil feigned an injury to his knee ? So what if you’ve hurt your fucking knee it’s a man’s game, a contact sport for highly trained athletes - play on.

Yep - I said before the game several Chelsea players always scream out loud when they are tackled and this ref fell for it all. Worse was Jorginho screaming for a foul and immediately jumping up and sprinting towards the ref.

His performance didn't really cost us the game but it was clear as day by his high-fiving the Chelsea players at the end that he dislikes Pep and was quietly pleased with the result. We lost but I would rather that than follow players that feign serious injury to get fellow pros in trouble.For balance I've said the same when Cancelo did it recently and when Raheem falls over when someone brushes against his back. Re-reading my post, I'll sum it up thus - the ref was a twat.