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      Blunder ref Lee Mason avoids Premier League axe this weekend… because he’s injured after West Brom VAR howler

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      BLUNDER ref Lee Mason has avoided the axe for next weekend’s Prem games – because he was already ruled out with an injury.
      But former refs’ chief Keith Hackett said it is time the final whistle was blown on the 49-year-old from Bolton.

      Lee Mason has avoided the axe after getting injured in Brighton’s controversial defeat to West BromCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Mason hobbled away from the Hawthorns with a calf injury after his mess-up saw Lewis Dunk’s quick free-kick annulled, then awarded as a goal, and finally ruled out by the VAR.
      It was the latest in a string of gaffes by Mason, who was still due to be on fourth official duty at Sheffield United’s game with Aston Villa on Wednesday.
      But Mason told PGMOL that he was not fit to take up his duties and will also miss this weekend through the problem.
      Despite that, Hackett insisted Mason has outlived his usefulness.

      He told talkSPORT: “He is on an awful run and on Saturday simply didn’t follow the procedures.
      “I really do think Lee Mason should hang up his whistle.
      “It’s not just Saturday. He was also the VAR on the Mike Dean fiasco when Thomas Soucek of West Ham was wrongly sent off and has made a couple of utter howlers.
      “This wouldn’t happen with a kid on a local park. We’re talking one of our most experienced referees, who is coming towards retirement but it was such a basic mistake and you can’t get away from that.”

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      West Brom boss Sam Allardyce, though, jumped to Mason’s defence. 
      Allardyce felt Mason had wrongly awarded BOTH Brighton’s missed spot-kicks against his side but said: “To say he should be retired is an outrageous suggestion.
      “Referees are under pressure and maybe he should be taken out of the firing line for a bit but to retire him  would be too much.”

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      Farce as referee rules out Brighton goal vs West Brom before overturning decision.. but then VAR rules it out AGAIN

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      REFEREE Lee Mason disallowed Lewis Dunk’s Brighton equaliser against West Brom, after flip flapping on his decision TWICE.
      The confusion began when the Seagulls defender cheekily took a free-kick from 20 yards quickly, catching out Baggies goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

      Lewis Dunk tried to take the free-kick earlyCredit: PA:Press Association

      Referee Lee Mason got himself in a pickleCredit: Reuters

      Dunk, 29, was convinced that Mason had blown the whistle for the kick to be taken, strongly arguing his case with the official.
      Unexpectedly the Brighton’s skipper’s protestations initially appeared to ring true, with Mason deciding to give the goal after all.
      It was then West Brom captain Kyle Bartley’s turn to argue his case, with the Baggies insisting that the set-piece was taken too quickly.
      VAR eventually intervened, instructing Mason not to give the goal.

      And Brighton, 1-0 down from Bartley’s earlier header, were then made to take the free-kick again – with Dunk this time sending it harmlessly into Johnstone’s grasp.
      Graham Potter appeared bemused on the touchline, while even Sam Allardyce had his head in his hands.
      The final judgement was that Mason had blown the whistle twice, once before the kick indicating for play to be stopped.
      And a second time while the ball was in mid-air, meaning the free-kick had to be retaken.

      The referee only served to irritate both sets of playersCredit: PA:Press Association

      Mason tried to explain what had happened to both bemused managersCredit: Getty – Pool

      The incident only served to frustrate both sets of players and coaching staff, as the relegation battlers slugged it out for three crucial points.
      Mason had already awarded Brighton a penalty following a VAR review, after Okay Yokuslu handballed in the box.
      But Pascal Gross wasted the chance to equalise, slapping his spot kick against the crossbar.

      Lewis Dunk takes a quick free-kick and bends the ball into the net but after consulting the VAR, referee Lee Mason has overturned the goal because the whistle had been blown a second time before the ball had crossed the lineWest Brom 1-0 Brighton (37 mins)⁰#WBABHA
      — Premier League (@premierleague) February 27, 2021

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      Leeds striker Patrick Bamford hits out at VAR after having equaliser disallowed by marginal offside in Wolves defeat

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      PATRICK BAMFORD believes Leeds were ‘robbed’ of a point against Wolves after VAR disallowed his equaliser in the second half.
      The 27-year-old thought he had got the Whites back on level terms in the 77th minute at Molineux, only to be judged fractionally offside.

      Leeds striker Patrick Bamford has hit out at VAR after having his equaliser disallowedCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Bamford’s knee was adjudged to have been narrowly ahead of Conor Coady’s trailing boot as VAR chalked off what would have been his 13th goal of the season.
      And in another cruel blow for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, Wolves’ winner came after Adama Traore’s shot cannoned off the bar, before bouncing in after hitting goalkeeper Islan Meslier.
      Taking to social media after the game, Bamford vented that his side should have left the Midlands with a point if it wasn’t for VAR.
      He tweeted: “Gutted for the lads tonight, robbed of a point.”

      “But at least it’s ‘mAkInG tHe GaMe BeTtEr’. We go again Tuesday.”
      It’s not the first time this season that Bamford has expressed his anger at VAR after he was astonishingly denied a strike against Crystal Palace in November.
      Yet again his goal would have seen Leeds back on level terms, only for the strike to be disallowed due to his arm being offside.
      Speaking at the time, he said: “I don’t understand the rule. You can’t score with your arm.

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      Gutted for the lads tonight, robbed of a point 🥴 but at least it’s “mAkInG tHe GaMe BeTtEr”🧐 we go again Tuesday #mot
      — Patrick Bamford (@Patrick_Bamford) February 19, 2021

      Bamford thought he had got the Whites back on level terms at Molineux in the 77th minuteCredit: Reuters

      “It doesn’t make sense. It’s happened with me today but I’ve seen it on numerous occasions.
      “It’s ruining football. You want to see goals. To have it ruled out for something like that is daft.
      “Even the referee couldn’t make sense of it. When the players and the officials can’t make sense of it, does it make sense?”

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      Wayne Rooney wants VAR SCRAPPED and claims it sucks joy out of goal celebrations and ruins football for fans

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      WAYNE ROONEY has slammed the VAR system for sucking the joy out of goal celebrations and says it is killing fun in football.
      The Derby boss fears a crucial connection between players and fans will be lost when spectators return to football unless VAR decisions can be sped up because players no longer know if they have scored or not.

      Wayne Rooney now manages Derby in the ChampionshipCredit: PA:Press Association

      One of Rooney’s most iconic goal celebrations came in 2015 – after The Sun on Sunday had revealed exclusive footage of a home video in which the striker was apparently knocked out by Stoke’s Phil Bardsley during a playful bout of sparring in Rooney’s kitchen.
      After scoring against Spurs in his next game Rooney mocked himself by producing a flurry of punches in an impromptu bout of shadow boxing – then pretended to take one on the chin and fell backwards to signify himself hitting the canvas.
      That’s why he says he felt for Leicester City’s James Maddison on Saturday when he scored a brilliant free kick equaliser against Liverpool to set up his side’s 3-1 win – yet didn’t dare celebrate it!
      Rooney, whose Derby side take on Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night, said: “I saw James Maddison after he scored and he stood around and didn’t know whether it was a goal or whether it would be disallowed.

      “I think it’s ridiculous players are waiting around for one minute, two minutes, to see if the goal will stand.  If we knew every decision was right people would accept it better – but the fact they aren’t getting all the decisions right is even more frustrating.
      “We have to allow referees to do their job and accept there will be human error within that. But if that means keeping that emotion and excitement in the game, I’m sure a lot of people would want to see that.
      “A goal is the one time the fans feel connected to their club and their player, when they are celebrating a goal together. Take that away and you lose that connection players have with fans.”
      Rooney had more than 300 career goals to choose his favourite celebration from, during a stellar career in which he became Manchester United and England’s greatest ever goalscorer.

      Wayne Rooney produced his iconic KO celebration against Spurs in 2015Credit: Getty – Contributor

      James Maddison was initially reluctant to celebrate his strike against LiverpoolCredit: Jon Super/ The Guardian
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      He enjoyed Jamie Vardy’s rock n’ roll celebration, using the corner flag as a makeshift electric guitar after scoring against Liverpool at the weekend and revealed: “I didn’t really do that many which I worked on – it was a reaction, it just happened.  
      “Of course there are also some embarrassing celebrations out there but that’s a part of football and it’s great for fans to see.”
      Rams fans have yet to see Rooney doing a knee-slide down the touchline yet in his new role as Derby boss but he was pleased with the elaborate corner kick routine against Middlesbrough at the weekend which led to Lee Gregory’s opener.
      “The plan was to do it 5,6,7 times in training but we did it once and we scored off it, so we didn’t go back and do it again,” said Rooney. “So that’s two from two – Wycombe have seen it now but all the best trying to work it out because it’s difficult to defend.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Mark Halsey: VAR shambles is killing over-worked referees… they should not be the ones sitting in Stockley Park

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      VAR is proving nothing short of farcical — 18 months after its introduction.
      Fans everywhere will be appalled that mistakes are still being made.

      Tomas Soucek’s sending off versus Fulham is the latest VAR controversy to hit the Premier LeagueCredit: EPA

      Mark Halsey writes on the pressure facing refsCredit: Action Images – Reuters

      Refereeing standards continue to decline. It is not always about the laws of the game, it is about knowing the game of football.
      But you have to feel for our refs, who are close to exhaustion.
      They regularly have to tackle the huge demands of officiating one day and being at Stockley Park in front of a screen doing VAR the next.
      Mike Dean is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons again after sending off Southampton’s Jan Bednarek on Tuesday and showing the red card to Tomas Soucek of West Ham four days later.

      Bednarek’s dismissal, for a challenge on Manchester United’s Anthony Martial, was quickly overturned by the FA.
      Meanwhile, West Ham are appealing against Soucek’s red, given for ‘violent conduct’, and I fully expect them to be successful.
      At Old Trafford, in real time, I think we would all have given a penalty.
      But when you see the replay it is a clear and obvious error by Mike because Martial has deceived the officials.

      Fans are growing tired of waiting on baffling VAR delaysCredit: AFP

      Referees are also feeling the frustration of the controversial systemCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      That’s what VAR Graham Scott was there for — to recommend that Mike checked the incident.
      I fully expected him to reverse his decision but I understand Graham called him across because he felt Mike needed to show the red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity — as he didn’t do that when he awarded the penalty.
      As for Soucek’s sending-off for catching Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic with an elbow, when I first saw it, I knew it wasn’t an act of violent conduct.
      Mike was looking straight at the incident, blew his whistle and took no disciplinary action. So why on earth has Lee Mason got involved?
      They must have watched it over 20 times. If you have watched it that many times it’s not clear and obvious!
      Once Mike has gone to the monitor he should have been strong enough to say ‘that is not violent conduct’.
      Soucek tries to lift his arm over Mitrovic — how can that be violent conduct?
      The players were all bewildered on Saturday, like they were at Old Trafford. Even Martial said it wasn’t a foul.
      At the moment there is a lack of empathy for the game from some match officials.
      And that comes from the leadership and direction of the referees’ Select Group Management. Something has to change, sooner rather than later.
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      The workload on refs is too great, possibly even more because of the pandemic.
      They are driving themselves all over the place and their bodies and their minds are suffering fatigue — just like the players.
      When on VAR duty on a Saturday, some officials are there all day because they are doing an early match and a later game, too. That is not right.
      As I have said before, active referees should not be doing the VAR role, we should be using retired referees — as they are successfully in the MLS.

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      Man Utd fans left baffled along with Southampton rivals after Che Adams given offside by VAR… and nobody knows why

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      FANS were left baffled by the latest Premier League goal ruled out by a curious VAR decision – this time in Southampton’s trip to Manchester United.
      The Red Devils’ 9-0 romp on Tuesday night meant there was little arguing over the result, with fans agreeing on one incident in particular.

      The VAR lines drawn on Che Adams baffled viewersCredit: Sky Sports

      With United four goals ahead, Che Adams was played in by a neat free-kick routine that saw the striker hit the back of the net.
      However, VAR took a closer look and decided he was offside by the tightest of margins.
      From the broadcast camera angle, the decision appeared to be questionable to say the least with only Adams’ knee or the top of his arm potentially tickling the offside trap.
      Alas the goal was chalked off, leaving viewers bemused.

      It was far from the first time Saints have been hard done by from a VAR call after Matty Cash escaped giving away a penalty with a handball in last week’s defeat to Aston Villa.
      A late Danny Ings equaliser in that game was also chalked off by another tight offside decision.
      During the United game, Southampton fan Luke wrote online: “The club needs to escalate this to whoever necessary. Three disgusting VAR decisions in two games.
      “It’s costing teams points and positions in the league which could be the difference between millions of £s in prize money and for some maybe even relegation. Absolute farce.”

      Richard remarked: “Guys they are 4-0 against 10 men, you don’t need to give them Man United VAR bias again.”
      Adam added: “To have this goal chalked off is a joke, which part of Che is offside?! Maybe his fingertips? Which is madness, you can’t score with your hand anyway! Jokers! Absolute jokers.”
      Even United fans, perhaps comforted by their side’s huge lead, agreed and thought the Adams call was harsh.
      Twitter user Josh commented: “United fan. Onside. Southampton been absolutely robbed today and against Villa.”
      And fellow Red Devil Luka tweeted: “I’m a United fan but that is ridiculous. Never in a million years is he offside.”
      Southampton were also aggrieved when Jan Bednarek was sent off for felling Anthony Martial in the box, for the penalty that made it 7-0.

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      Che Adams fired home but was called back for offsideCredit: Eddie Keogh Telegraph Media Group

      Southampton were also upset by Jan Bednarek’s second-half red cardCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

      The Polish defender claimed even his opponent felt it was not a foul after being given his marching orders.
      Premier League officials have been forced to explain that Mike Dean’s pitchside monitor did not freeze during his check.
      Southampton have appealed the sending off but are not expected to request a second look on the early dismissal of debutant Alex Jankewitz.
      ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news from Old Trafford

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      Premier League insist VAR screen did NOT break down when officials reviewed Man Utd penalty against Southampton

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      THE Premier League have insisted the VAR screen did NOT break down when Mike Dean was reviewing his decision to award Manchester United a penalty against Southampton.
      Television footage showing the official trying to decide if Jan Bednarek had tripped Anthony Martial to concede the spot-kick appeared to suggest the pitchside monitor had frozen.

      Questions were raised over Mike Dean’s VAR review on Tuesday nightCredit: PA:Press Association

      Dean was seen frantically talking with his VAR Graham Scott as the screen stayed locked on one long distant frame – before he eventually decided to give the penalty and show Bednarek a red card.
      That led to confusion over how the referee was able to make a call when the video had not seemingly been working properly at Old Trafford.
      But the PGMOL have made it clear there was nothing wrong with the technology during the game.
      And instead Dean had asked video providers HawkEye to freeze the frame at the exact point of contact so he could assess the entire picture before making his decision.

      Bednarek was heard complaining ‘Martial said it’s not a foul!’ after the incident.
      Before the red card which led to United’s seventh goal, Southampton were left unhappy by a review that disallowed a Che Adams consolation.

      Jan Bednarek was adjudged to have made slight contact with Anthony MartialCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Dean handed the defender his marching orders with the score at 6-0Credit: Reuters
      The striker was deemed to be millimetres offside as Saints caught their opponents out with a free-kick routine.
      After the 9-0 drubbing, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl described the ‘horrible’ manner of the defeat.

      Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani scored before the break, alongside a Bednarek own goal.
      United then punished the visitors, who were down to ten men after 82 seconds, with goals from Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes and Daniel James after the break, as well as an Anthony Martial brace.
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      Likening the loss to last season’s 9-0 hammering at the hands of Leicester, Hasenhuttl said: “We lost again in a horrible way.
      “The same story, one man down [early] and so 90 minutes can be long. The lads had no alternatives – no players on the bench, no alternatives to defend better.
      “In the end, it’s a different situation to the first time, as it has been a good season so far and we are in a position we haven’t been for a long time [mid-table].
      “We know what we have to do better. It hurts more not less to have this result again. But the team is a different one now. Let’s see how the season ends.”
      ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news from Old Trafford

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      Liverpool would be SIX points clear at top of Premier League without VAR this season and Man Utd would drop place

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      LIVERPOOL would have been SIX points clear and well on course to defend their Prem crown – if there was no VAR.
      Jurgen Klopp’s men are four points worse off than they would have been without the technology.

      Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points worse off with VARCredit: Tom Jenkins/ The Guardian

      And Manchester United, who can move clear at the top in the real world when they meet Burnley next week, would have been only third, some seven points adrift of the champions, without the interventions from Stockley Park.
      Liverpool have been the team on the “wrong” end of most VAR decisions, with eight overturns – either “factual” calls by Stockley Park or after the referee has looked at the pitchside monitor – compared to two changed decisions in their favour.
      While most of those calls only altered the scoreline, Klopp’s side lost four points that would have been banked without intervention.
      Those key decisions saw Jordan Henderson’s late “winner” in the Merseyside derby chalked off after Sadio Mane was deemed offside in the build-up and Brighton awarded an injury-time spot kick for Andy Robertson’s foul on Danny Welbeck at the Amex.

      United, by contrast, are three points better off than they would have been without VAR interventions.

      Liverpool’s VAR changes

      FOR
      Chelsea (a) Christensen yellow card upgraded to red 
      Wolves (h) Coady penalty overturned as no contact by Mane
      AGAINST
      Everton (A) Henderson goal ruled out for armpit offside against Mane
      Sheff Utd (h) Blades converted penalty after Fabinho foul ruled inside the box
      Sheff Utd (h) Salah goal offside
      West Ham (h) Jota goal disallowed for Mane foul
      Man City (a) Penalty for Gomez handball (missed by De Bruyne)
      Brighton (a) Salah offside goal in first half
      Brighton (a) Mane clearly offside from second half free-kick.
      Brighton (a) Gross scores penalty for Robertson foul on Welbeck

      Without the technology, United would have drawn at Brighton, rather than winning through a penalty awarded after the final whistle had initially been blown.
      And although United were denied what would have been a decisive spot kick in the Manchester derby, they would have lost 1-0 to West Brom, rather than beating them by the same score, if VAR had not been used.
      While they would have only been two points better off without VAR, Aston Villa have been arguably the biggest “victims” as Dean Smith’s side would have been four places higher and in fourth. 

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      Jordan Henderson’s late winner was ruled out against EvertonCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

      Man United are three points better off with VARCredit: PA:Press Association

      Despite two full rounds of games without a VAR overturn – the last changed decisions saw Tammy Abraham’s December 26 consolation strike for Chelsea at Arsenal allowed after being originally flagged offside – there have still been 65 changed decisions after 164 matches this term.
      Despite two full rounds of games without a VAR overturn – the last changed decisions saw Tammy Abraham’s December 26 consolation strike for Chelsea at Arsenal allowed after being originally flagged offside – there have still been 65 changed decisions after 164 matches this term.
      That equates to a changed decision every 2.52 matches. Last season, by comparison, the 380 matches brought 109 changes, at a rate of one every 3.49 games.
      A total of 21 goals have been disallowed, 17 of them for offside, three goals allowed that were initially flagged, 17 penalties awarded and nine waived, with 10 red cards after monitor reviews.

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