A Controversial Gameweek

Earlier, football had very simple rules; no offsides, no substitutions, no arguments with the referee. If a player was injured, the team had to carry on with a player less for the rest of the game. This weekend witnessed the most intense games of this season, with all the above circumstances playing a major role in the outcome.

The crowd also has an influence on the referees decisions, especially when a decision goes against the home team. There were four controversial events in all.

Charlie Adam’s penalty claim

The former Blackpool captain thought he had won his side a penalty after a clear foul by Cesar Azpilicueta. He was convinced when referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot. That was only the start. What followed was total irony. The lineswoman had already ruled Charlie Adam offside. It was Andre Marriner who failed to spot the lineswoman’s decision on the far side. This prevented Stoke from getting back into the game & also saved Azpilicueta, who would’ve probably been sent off had the referee given that penalty & the crowd would’ve influenced his decision to do so, as Stoke were the home team.

Juan Mata’s penalty

Around five minutes after the Charlie Adam incident, it was Chelsea at the other end who were awarded a penalty, after Juan Mata was sandwiched between Ryan Shawcross from the back & Robert Huth from the front. Stoke, who were already trailing by two goals thanks to a brace of Jon Walters’ own goals, were shown no sympathy by Andre Marriner, who pointed to the spot without any hesitation. Stoke’s players were furious and so were the fans who, from no angle, saw it as a penalty. Lampard converted, 3-0! They later turned out to be right, after TV replays showed it was Juan Mata who went down quite easily. Chelsea went on to beat Stoke 4-0 at the Britannia, where the final goal was scored by Eden Hazard, handing Stoke their first home defeat since February 2012, where they were last beaten by the Black Cats.

Nemanja Vidic’s goal

Super Sunday, two big games and more controversies! It all started when the ball nicked Vidic’s head who was in an offside position. Manchester United were leading 1-0 when this controversy occurred. Robin Van Persie swung in a free kick, which fell to Patrice Evra’s head. He headed the ball towards the goal keeper. Half a yard ahead of Evra was Vidic, who intercepted that ball involuntarily, which was enough for the ball to go under Reina’s hand and in the goal. Daniel Sturridge later scored on his Premier League debut for Liverpool after capitalizing on an error from David De Gea. The game ended 2-1 in favour of the Red Devils.

Vincent Kompany’s red card

This game started with controversy too as Laurent Koscielny was shown a red card after just eight minutes of play for holding off Edin Dzeko in the penalty area. There were boos all around the Emirates Stadium putting referee Mike Dean under instant pressure. Manchester City dominated the entire half and went into the break with a two-goal lead. Around the 70^th minute, the Citizens’ captain Vincent Kompany was shown a straight red after a two legged foul on Jack Wilshere. According to me, that wasn’t even a foul. I agree it was a two legged challenge, but Kompany clearly won the ball! It was the follow through that caught Wilshere. When Mike Dean took out that red, I thought it was for Wilshere, who had come in so roughly & was already under a yellow. No wonder Kompany was so surprised when that red was shown to him. It was then that Arsenal gathered momentum, but City defended very well to hold the Gunners off. It remained 0-2.