Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has claimed that Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden was fortunate to avoid a red card following his challenge on Fulham centre-back Calvin Bassey.
Foden played a key role in City’s 3–0 victory over Fulham, providing the assist for Erling Haaland’s opener in the 39th minute. However, the England international courted controversy in the second half after a dangerous tackle on Bassey that resulted in only a yellow card in the 69th minute.
While attempting to track back and challenge Bassey, Foden stepped on the Nigerian defender’s back ankle. Referee Paul Tierney issued a caution, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not intervene to upgrade the decision to a red card.
Speaking during Sky Sports’ Premier League Ref Watch, Gallagher insisted the challenge warranted a dismissal and questioned why VAR did not step in.
More Read
“I think red card – I think he is very lucky. I think he’s really, really lucky not to have been sent off,” Gallagher said.
“He didn’t mean to do it, we get that, but if you look closely, he’s actually caught him on the wrong foot. He’s gone to take him on the other foot but because Bassey accelerated away, he’s caught him on his left ankle with his studs.”
Refereeing standards in the Premier League have faced sustained scrutiny in recent years, with fans, pundits and players frequently criticising inconsistencies in decision-making. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has, on several occasions, issued public apologies for on-field officiating errors.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
