Celtic star Arne Engels was at the centre of a debate surrounding potential red cards as two key members of Ref Watch pardoned him minutes after scolding Moises Caicedo – but Dermot Gallagher insisted both were yellow cards.
The £11m Parkhead record signing was the subject of a VAR check for a tackle on Joe Newell but the referee's original decision to award a yellow card remained after Clydesdal House had a gander. And that was a call Dermot Gallagher was on board with when it came to the Celtic star, explaining on Sky Sports Ref Watch: “Yellow card. He’s reckless, he doesn’t need to make that challenge but I don’t think he stamps down on him. He comes in, he’s late. I think yellow cards I’m in agreement with the referee.”
Fellow pundits Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock said the same, however, host Rob Wootoon queried how it differed from the call involving Caicedo against Spurs. Gallagher was steadfast in his belief that Caicedo was right to remain on the pitch, stating: "I think it's a yellow card, I can understand why Jamie Carragher thinks it's a red. I think he goes down, puts his foot into the ground, and doesn't go through it - that's what saves him. If he catches him half-way up the shin, he's going to get a red card. What everybody's looking for now is intensity. Has he got it, has he got the momentum, has he gone through it. His boot comes down on the pitch, rather than his shin. That's what saves him."
Moises Caicedo (L) fights for the ball with Tottenham Hotspur's Swedish midfielder #21 Dejan Kulusevski
Moises Caicedo and Dejan Kulusevski both avoided red cards (Image: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
On the Caicedo incident, Smith added: "I'm really surprised it wasn't a red card. I thought he went with quite a bit of intensity. It looked quite aggressive, and he connects high and scrapes down. I thought they were going to review it and he'd be sent off."
And Warnock agreed: "I was really surprised too. I understand what you're saying about the intensity, and the way he's gone in."