“What is he seeing there?”
We regret to inform you that Mike Dean is at the centre of yet more VAR-related drama.
Days after upsetting Southampton during their 9-0 pummelling at Old Trafford, the referee looked to be closing in on completing a relatively uneventful day’s work as Fulham and West Ham played out a goalless draw at Craven Cottage.
Deep into stoppage time, however, Dean was asked to take a look at a coming together between West Ham’s Tomas Soucek and Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Replays showed Soucek catch Mitrovic with his arm as the pair waited for a free-kick to be taken on the edge of the Fulham area. To pretty much everyone watching, it appeared to be unintentional, but the VAR officials deemed the incident worthy of a closer look from the referee.
After checking a pitch-side monitor, Dean, for the second time in a week brandished what seemed like a particularly harsh red card.
Tomas Soucek was sent off late in West Ham's 0-0 draw with Fulham for this incident 🟥 pic.twitter.com/DMjddNt4Kx
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 6, 2021
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher was struck dumb by the decision:
What is going on! that’s not a deliberate elbow!! FFS 🤦♂️
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 6, 2021
As well as drawing plenty of criticism from those watching the game at home, Jamie Redknapp, covering the game as a pundit for Sky Sports, tore into the decision.
“You can blame VAR or Mike Dean – whatever you want – but what is he seeing there?” he said. “He went over there and he still decided to give this as a red card.
“He’s trying to get his arm out of the way. Mitrovic tries to grab him, he lifts his arm almost to get it out of the way and – completely by accident – his elbow catches him.”
"What's happening to our game?!" 😡
Jamie Redknapp and Bobby Zamora are shocked by the officials' decision to send off West Ham's Tomas Soucek against Fulham. pic.twitter.com/3h4VQprv9T
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 6, 2021
