Ref Watch: 'Brooks grabbed Cucurella's shirt – not his hair'

Ex-top flight referee Dermot Gallagher assesses the controversial moments from the midweek action, including the first time in Premier League history that an official has rejected a red-card review at the pitch-side monitor.

INCIDENT: David Brooks clashes with Marc Cucurella off the ball and referee Robert Jones is sent to the pitchside monitor for a red-card review. However, he decides not to send Brooks off – a first in the Premier League.

DERMOT’S VERDICT: “The VAR recommends a review because he thinks there’s a possible act of violent conduct.

“I wonder if the VAR thought Brooks pulled Cucurella’s hair. It looks as though his hair is pulled back.

“Brooks actually grabs the front of Cucurella’s shirt. The referee looked at it for a long time and discussed it.

“He came to the conclusion that Brooks pulled the top of his shirt which is why you get the clothesline effect. The referee deemed it reckless rather than violent because it was a grab of the shirt.

“His opinion was it stopped a promising attack. It wasn’t violent conduct – he didn’t grab his hair or throat.”

‘Jones studied incident and didn’t knee-jerk”

Dermot Gallagher on Rob Jones’s decision to not send David Brooks off:

“I think Brooks grabs Cucurella by the top of the shirt. By doing that it shows the shirt coming out. I wonder if that gives the VAR the impression he’s grabbed him by the hair.

“It’s all about has he grabbed him at the top of the shirt or by the throat? The referee has looked and looked. Rob Jones hasn’t knee-jerked and given him a red card. He’s studied it.”

‘Brooks could have broken Cucurella’s jaw’

Sky Sports’ Paul Merson on the Brooks-Cucurella incident:

“He could have easily broken his jaw, it was dangerous. If a player is in danger, I thought it was a red. I can’t see anything but [a red].

“He went over and watched it himself, I can’t see how he didn’t give a red. I was amazed. For me, they dodged a bullet there Bournemouth.”

Did Cucurella provoke Brooks?

INCIDENT: Marc Cucurella collided with David Brooks in an off-the-ball incident during the first half which left the Bournemouth forward on the deck.

DERMOT SAYS: “Cucurella has been very cute because he’s done it behind Rob Jones’ back. The assistant could be watching the offside because the ball has gone through. Cucurella has seen his chance and blocked Brooks off. If the referee sees it then he gets a yellow card.

“It was a long time later [the second incident]. There was also half-time. A lot happens between that incident and the 53rd minute.”

‘It’s a clumsy tackle – an easy decision to give’

INCIDENT: Bournemouth are awarded a penalty when Moises Caicedo brings down Antoine Semenyo.

DERMOT SAYS: It is clumsy tackle, he does not get the ball, the referee [Robert Jones] is in the perfect position – an easy one to give if you have the right view as he takes his leg away and the ball is the clue, it does not move.

‘VAR can’t get involved in Arsenal corner – not in its remit’

INCIDENT: Arsenal are awarded a corner despite the ball appearing to go out off of their winger Leandro Trossard. Gabriel then scores the winner against Tottenham at the set piece – but why did the VAR [Peter Bankes] not get involved?

DERMOT SAYS: “This is a real shame as it is all about consequence. The referee [Simon Hooper] makes the decision from where he is, he does not see the ball strike Trossard, which it definitely does, he gets the last touch, it should be a goal kick.

“The corner comes across, if it gets knocked out of play we do not talk about it, but it goes in the net and suddenly the consequences are ramped up.

“VAR cannot award anything other than red cards, penalties, goals, mistaken identities – they can’t do re-starts, so it is out of their remit at the moment. Whether that will come in years to come, I do not know.

“For Simon Hooper, he may well have felt that when it hit Trossard, he was actually off the pitch, but he was not. There is no doubt about it, it is a factual decision.”

‘The most frustrating rule in football’

INCIDENT: Wolves’ Santiago Bueno scores at a corner but it is ruled out by the VAR for handball.

DERMOT SAYS: “This is the most frustrating rule in football for neutral fans. The law is if the ball strikes the scorer’s hand then it’s disallowed. The referee didn’t see it.”

Should Everton have been given a penalty in their loss to Villa?

INCIDENT: Everton were not given a penalty after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was wrestled to the ground by Youri Tielemans.

DERMOT SAYS: It is interesting. Is it a foul? Is he holding? Is another player fouled? If the referee [Samuel Barrott] had given a penalty, I think it would have been disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper. He is impeded as the ball comes across, he [Abdoulaye Doucoure] backs straight into him.

‘The referee was very composed’

INCIDENT: Trent Alexander-Arnold punches the ball and appears to catch Elliot Anderson. The incident is dismissed.

DERMOT SAYS: He hasn’t caught him much and the referee dealt with it well. The Forest players didn’t make an issue of it and that’s helped the referee. The referee was very composed.