Hee Chan escaped a red cardplaceholder image
Hee Chan escaped a red card | Getty Images
One Wolves player was lucky to avoid a red card according to a couple of former referees.
But deep into stoppage time, Bukayo Saka’s perfect cross forced Yerson Mosquera to head into his own net, and Arsenal ensured they stayed at the top of the Premier League, while Wolves remain without a win as we close in on the halfway point of the Premier League season.
Life should have been harder for Wolves, though, according to two former Premier League referees in Keith Hackett and Mark Clattenburg. Hwang Hee-chan was a lucky man after putting in what looked to be a nasty challenge on Myles Lewis-Skelly.
“When you look at this challenge, there is no doubt that this player has fulfilled the excessive force requirement [for a red card]," Hackett told Football Insider. "He enters the challenge at pace with a straight leg, studs showing, and whilst low, is still endangering the safety of an opponent. The player was off the ground and, therefore, could not stop or change direction.
“I have no doubt that the excuse will be that ‘we stuck with yellow because the challenge was low down’, but for me, there’s an element of malice in the challenge. It should have been red.”
Meanwhile, Clattenburg told the same outlet: “It’s got speed, force and malice as Hee-chan’s foot is high and studs are showing, which hits his opponent’s leg. This can clearly endanger the safety of his opponent. If Hee-chan wanted to avoid the contact, then he could have lowered and turned his foot to reduce the studs and impact point on the leg.
“This is another example of the VAR frustration in the Premier League, where decisions are not consistent on a match-by-match basis,
Premier League explain decision
The Premier League’s match centre channel on X explained why the decision was not reviewed to a red card. Their post explained: “The referee’s call of yellow card was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Hwang deemed to be pulling out of the challenge on Lewis-Skelly and the contact on the foot deemed to be a reckless foul.”
Arsenal may feel otherwise, though they are not likely to feel too strongly about it now that they have three points and Lewis-Skelly avoided an injury.
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