PGMOL chief Howard Webb is unconvinced that Diogo Dalot’s challenge on Jeremy Doku in Man Utd’s 2-0 win over Man City was worthy of a red card - but is convinced that VAR was right not to intervene.
Dalot escaped a red card for a 10th-minute tackle on Doku, which ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean believed was "100 per cent" a sending off.
The Man Utd defender was only shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor, with VAR Craig Pawson backing the on-field decision.
Analysing the decision on Mic'd Up, Webb said: "Is there excessive force? Some will say, yes. I'm not quite there, but I can see that there could be.
"It's a subjective judgment…but I'm absolutely aligned that once that decision is taken on the field, we leave it as referee's call and we don't intervene with the VAR."
He added: "I think it's one where the referee's call should stand on the field. That's what we've said we'll do where there's a mix of considerations.
"I think there is a mix, and therefore in this situation, it was right to leave it as the referee's call.
"If a red had been given, I would have expected the red card to stand as well, in the same way."
Man City boss Pep Guardiola felt Dalot should have been sent off after an early foul on Jeremy Doku.
But VAR Pawson stood by Taylor's on-field decision, believing the contact was "glancing and not with force".
Webb said: "At full speed, when you play it in real time, you can see there's not a great deal of speed in the action, not a lot of intensity.
"We were heavily criticised a few years ago for using slow motion and freeze frames because people said, this is not reality. It's not how the game is played. When you slow it down, it can look a lot worse - and it does. When you freeze frame it, you can make a lot of situations look like red card offences.
"So it's difficult for me to hear people make a judgment on this just by analysing freeze frame and slow motion, coming to the consideration that it's red on that basis.
"Yes, it could be red, but you have to think about the need to look at it at full speed. We've done that for some time now. We thought it was a fair criticism some time ago when people said, 'Stop using slow-mos as the main way of analysing these situations'. And we've listened, and we agree. And we play it at full speed. Then we slow it down a little bit to see the exact point of contact to factor that in as well.
"But without speed and force and intensity, it's unlikely to be a red card."
Your Site pundits Roy Keane and Micah Richards both felt Dalot should have been sent off.
Speaking at half-time at Old Trafford, Keane said: "Doku definitely helps him [by not staying down]. I'm no expert on red cards, but I think it's a red."
Richards said: "He [Dalot] is on top of his knee. That is as clear a red card as you are going to see. What more do you want?!"
Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher speaking on Ref Watch:
"I thought it was a red card.
"He's gone in high and with a straight leg. He's hit him with his studs on the knee. The ball is not there, it's gone, so for me, it's a red card but for others, it is not."
Former Cardiff and England striker Jay Bothroyd agreed with Gallafger on Ref Watch:
"I can't believe Dalot has tried to appeal the yellow card. It's a terrible challenge.
"The priority for the referees is player safety. When you see challenges like that, Doku could have ended up really hurt.
"To me, it wasn't a glancing blow. His studs are up and it is above the ankle. I don't understand how it is not a red card.
"It's a terrible decision. That's going to be one of the worst decisions of the season."
On Mic'd Up, the full transcript between referee Taylor, VAR Pawson and assistant VAR, Adrian Holmes, was released and showed how the officials concluded staying with Taylor's on-field yellow card decision...
Ref: "I'm going yellow card, it's a glance."
VAR: "Yeah, he does, he's glancing contact on the knee. There's no force, but there is glancing contact. He's tried to play the ball, and he catches it with glancing contact. Glancing contact, there's no force. He's tried to play the ball, he flicks, he misses the ball, he catches him with a follow-through. I'm happy to confirm the on-field decision."
AVAR: "How fast does he come in?"
VAR: "He doesn't, he kind of slows into it."
AVAR: "He checks his step, doesn't he?"
VAR: "Yeah. Tayls [Anthony Taylor] confirming the yellow card for Manchester United 2 [Diogo Dalot]. He tries to play the ball, he misses it, and then he makes glancing contact onto the knee. There's no force or intensity, but he does catch him with a follow-through."
