Keith Hackett cites ‘inconsistency’ after Everton and West Ham suffer opposite red card fates
We’re delighted to welcome former Premier League referee Keith Hackett as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Everton...
Keith Hackett suggests there is inconsistency among refereeing decisions in the Premier League after Everton defender Mason Holgate’s red card against Tottenham Hotspur.
Holgate, 25, was initially shown a yellow card by referee Chris Kavanagh in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, but VAR official John Moss told his colleague to check the pitchside monitor to decide whether it should be upgraded to a red card for the challenge on Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hjobjerg.
After reviewing his decision, Kavanagh dismissed Holgate and Everton were forced to play the remaining minutes with 10 men.
Not long after, though, West Ham were in action against Liverpool, and a similar challenge by Aaron Cresswell on Jordan Henderson went unpunished in East London.
Former FIFA-listed official Hackett believes there needs to be a greater level of consistency as a result.
“VAR came in, rightly so, because I think Kavanagh got this one wrong,” Hackett told Goodison News on the Holgate red card. “Moss was right to get him to come across and Holgate committed the offence very similar to Cresswell and rightly was given the red card. On this one, I think Moss advises Kavanagh really well.
“It’s not [a good look]. Accountability falls on the management, the PGMOL, to ensure there is within the game consistency on these types of challenges, and game to game, but also as a group of referees and therefore I think that it highlighted a glaring error.
“Referees are different, they’re individual but ideally, if we’re going to have one VAR saying that’s acceptable and another it’s not, it shows the glaring inconsistency within the PGMOL.”
In other Everton news, Micah Richards has blasted this Blues player after what he saw him do at Goodison Park on Sunday.
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