Ref Watch: Should Rice have been sent off in Brighton draw?

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher is back to assess the controversial moments from the weekend’s action.

Should Declan Rice have been sent off?

INCIDENT: Declan Rice fouls Joel Veltman and as he is walking away from the incident, kicks the moving ball gently.

Veltman moves as if to take the free-kick and makes contact with Rice instead, bringing him down. Rice is shown a second yellow card for time-wasting.

DERMOT SAYS: “The players were told at the start of the season that if you delay the restart, you run the risk [of a booking], it was quite clear.

“You think someone else should’ve got a yellow card, but that doesn’t exonerate what he did.

“Two things don’t help him. He knows what he’s doing, and secondly the touchline – people say he didn’t knock it very far, but he knocks it off the field and so they definitely can’t restart play.

“Chris Kavanagh has got nowhere to go. The second yellow is mandatory.”

STEPHEN WARNOCK SAYS: “Don’t give the referee the decision. I don’t like it, I don’t think it warrants a yellow card, but it does under the laws of the game.

“It’s stupid, as well. He knows exactly what he’s doing, people might not think he’s done it on purpose but of course he has. Don’t give the referee the option when you’re on a yellow card. Veltman knows too – you know exactly who’s been booked in a game.”

SUE SMITH SAYS: “I don’t like it and I don’t think the referee liked doing it. I don’t think he wanted to do it, but those are the rules.

“Rice did know what he was doing. He looks down on the ball before he kicks it away. I can understand the frustration, but they have been briefed and he’s stopped them playing.”

Should Leicester’s goal have been disallowed?

INCIDENT: Jamie Vardy sees a goal ruled out after the ball hits referee David Coote in the build-up.

DERMOT SAYS: “He’s getting battered for something that’s not his fault. The law says if you play the ball from player to player, you play on.

“If it goes to an opposition player, you pull up. But it also says you can’t be instrumental in an attacking move.

“It deflects off the referee and sets a Leicester player up. He whistles early, the whistle is long gone [when the goal is scored].”

STEPHEN WARNOCK SAYS: “It’s a great decision. The ball would never have gone in that direction.

“You see the Villa players’ response; they’ve already stopped. It’s a really good decision, and how the Leicester players are moaning at it is beyond me.”

Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool

INCIDENT #1: The ball hits Mo Salah, in an offside position, in the build-up to what appears to be Liverpool’s opener at Man Utd on Super Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s celebrations are cut short after VAR rule Salah was offside and disallows his goal.

DERMOT SAYS: “Right call and a good spot. Someone asked whether he deliberately played it – that doesn’t matter, he played it, it went to a colleague who scored. It’s offside.”

INCIDENT #2: Matthijs de Ligt flies in on Luis Diaz on the flank in Liverpool’s win at Old Trafford, and is shown a yellow card.

DERMOT SAYS: “It’s a yellow card. The ref has a great view and plays a really good advantage.

“You’ve always got to leave the ground for a really small time to make a slide-tackle. Has he gone with his trailing leg, has he gone with his studs up – no.”

INCIDENT #3: Noussair Mazraoui steps on Cody Gakpo’s foot just inside the Man Utd penalty area late in their Liverpool defeat. The referee waves play on, and VAR declines to intervene.

DERMOT SAYS: “The referee makes the decision, he’s very close when it happens. There is a touch, he does step on his foot.

“Does he do that because he’s put it in front of him? On-field call, you’re never going to have the VAR go against him because he’s got the best view.”

Was Hughes lucky to not pick up a second yellow?

INCIDENT: Will Hughes, already on a yellow card, commits a number of fouls culminating in a late challenge on Cole Palmer in Crystal Palace’s draw at Chelsea.

He does not receive a second booking, and is, soon after, substituted by Oliver Glasner.

DERMOT SAYS: “In my day we had Mark Clattenberg, who would’ve set him up after the first [foul], pulled him out and said ‘You’ve done this, you’ve done this – the next one, you go’. There was a catalogue.

“What saves Hughes is he almost panics to let go of him very quickly, and there’s a Palace player who’s going to block him off anyway, so the ref will say he hasn’t broken up a promising attack.

“I think he gets lucky, because the bench subbed him a minute later – that tells you everything. If he had gone, he would’ve had no complaints.”