Heung-Min Son red card 'understandable', says Dermot Gallagher in Ref Watch

Dermot Gallagher can understand why Martin Atkinson showed Heung-Min Son a red card for his challenge on Andre Gomes while he also assesses VAR calls on a weekend full of controversy.

The Super Sunday clash between Everton and Tottenham took centre stage over the weekend in terms of big decisions but there was plenty of controversy elsewhere, with the bar for 'clear and obvious errors' causing debate again plus what constitutes handball inside the area.

So how did Dermot see it? Here's Sky Sports' resident ref's view...

Everton 1-1 Tottenham

INCIDENT: Gomes sustained an horrific injury on 79 minutes after he collided with Son and was propelled into Spurs full-back Serge Aurier. Son was initially shown a yellow card by referee Atkinson, but that was upgraded to red once the severity of Gomes' injury came to light. The red card for Son was for endangering the safety of a player, which happened as a consequence of his initial challenge.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Totally understandable why the red was shown.

DERMOT SAYS: Whatever the decision made on the day pales into insignificance for what happened to Gomes. I wish him a speedy recovery. I just hope Martin Atkinson gets the support network he deserves because people will say it wasn't a red card - they may well be right - but if you're in that situation at that time I can fully understand why Atkinson took the action he did. I defy any person refereeing at that level and to be involved in that situation to put their hand up and say 'I'd have done it differently'.

INCIDENT: There was a controversial VAR call when Dele Alli looked to handle in the Everton box from a corner, but after around four minutes of replays, VAR deemed it not enough to overturn the decision. The VAR considered that both Alli and Mina were challenging for the ball in the air and Alli was under pressure from the attacker as the ball struck his hand.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: I thought it was a penalty.

DERMOT SAYS: I expected a penalty to be awarded. In pre-season, the rules stated that if the hand is above the shoulder and it strikes the ball it's a penalty. Alli's hand is above the shoulder, no doubt. What I would say is that Atkinson didn't see it. The VAR thought that because the two players were in close proximity that it wasn't a clear and obvious error by the referee, therefore he didn't award the penalty. I was surprised the penalty wasn't given.

INCIDENT: Son turned in the box and went down under Mina's challenge. Both Atkinson and then the VAR said no penalty, before another check from a different angle was conducted moments later. That review also stated that no penalty should be awarded.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Correct decision.

DERMOT SAYS: I don't think it's a penalty. Son has lost the opportunity to shoot - it's minimal contact and there's not enough to award a penalty. The reason the check was re-checked was because Anthony Taylor in the VAR was suddenly given another angle to review which he felt he had to look at.