Manchester City's Bernardo Silva was not shown a second yellow card by Thomas Bramall against Newcastle United on Saturday night.placeholder image
Manchester City's Bernardo Silva was not shown a second yellow card by Thomas Bramall against Newcastle United on Saturday night. | Getty Images
Newcastle United latest news: Man City’s Bernardo Silva was fortunate to escape a red card v Newcastle United on Saturday night - according to a former Premier League referee.
Silva had already been shown a yellow card when he was penalised for fouling Dan Burn. Silva jumped at Burn without looking at the ball and whilst a free kick was given by Thomas Bramall, the Portuguese international escaped a second booking.
Speaking on Sky Sports Ref Watch about that incident, Gallagher said: “He takes a chance there, it's a reckless challenge. He doesn't look at the ball. The ball is not there.”
Jay Bothroyd added that Silva’s height could have been the reason for him avoiding a booking: “The referee looked at the situation and thought, Silva can't hurt Burn! If it were Haaland, he would've got a yellow card,” the former Cardiff City striker said. “The fact he is a small man is the reason he hasn't looked at it and thought that is a yellow card.”
Had Silva been shown a second yellow card on Saturday night, then he would have been handed a one-match ban by the Premier League. That would have seen him miss City’s clash against Leeds United at the weekend.
Man City v Newcastle United offside verdicts - Sky Sports Ref Watch
Elsewhere on Saturday night, VAR was called into action as Newcastle United were denied a second equaliser following an offside call. Dan Burn was the man who thought he had restored parity as he thumped a header past Gianluigi Donnarumma following a Sandro Tonali free-kick.
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However, Burn was adjudged to have been in an offside position by Bramall’s assistant at the Etihad Stadium as the free-kick was taken - a decision that was quickly confirmed by the technology. However, replays showed that Burn was only in that offside position because of a shove by Ruben Dias before Tonali took the kick.
That, according to Gallagher, was ‘unlucky’ for the Magpies man: “Dias commits a foul before the ball is in play so it can't be punished,” the former Premier League referee said. “It's unlucky.”
Lewis Hall had previously equalised for the Magpies following Nico O’Reilly’s opener. Hall, who has scored just three Premier League goals for Newcastle United, slammed home an effort from the edge of the box after a corner kick had been recycled to him.
There was an element of good fortune about a couple of deflections that put his shot beyond Donnarumma, but that didn’t stop Hall and his teammates celebrating Newcastle United’s first Premier League goal at the Etihad Stadium under Eddie Howe’s management. VAR checked the goal and despite shouts for offside for Joe Willock standing in Donnarumma’s line of vision, the goal was allowed to stand.
On that decision, Gallagher added: “This is the most difficult part of interpreting offside. The assistant will say Willock's in an offside position.
“The referee can see the line of vision and will say he's not in view of the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper's got a good view of the ball.”
Bothroyd, meanwhile, disagreed with Gallagher, stating: “I don't think the goalkeeper has a good view of the ball at all. Willock is there and he's the closest player to him.
“He can't see the ball coming because Willock and other players are there. He's had to move late. I think Willock is interfering.”
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