Ref Watch: Ruben Dias should have been sent off for Man City against Nottingham Forest for second bookable offence on Igor Jesus

Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher assesses the controversial moments from the weekend's action, including the decision not to send Ruben Dias off during Manchester City's win against Nottingham Forest.

Should Dias have been sent off for Man City?

INCIDENT: Ruben Dias avoids a second yellow card after referee Rob Jones penalised him for a foul on Igor Jesus 18 seconds into the second half...

DERMOT SAYS: I have sympathy with him [Sean Dyche], I think it is a second yellow card. Dias brings him down.

Whether it is an accident doesn't matter. That is a second yellow card.

It was a promising attack.

JAY BOTHROYD: Anywhere else on the field, this is an accidental challenge. I don't think they should be yellow cards, but Dermot explained that it stopped a promising attack.

I understand that part now. He should have got a yellow card because it's a promising attack. Sean Dyche is right.

Should City's winner have been disallowed?

INCIDENT: Sean Dyche was not happy that a foul wasn't given for a Nico O'Reilly's coming together with Morgan Gibbs-White in the build-up to City's late winner.

DERMOT SAYS: There's two clues here. Gibbs-White has pinned his [O'Reilly] arm and that is why O'Reilly has fell.

He has collapsed himself. If anything, he has fouled O'Reilly!

No foul from City player so no reason to disallow the goal.

JAY BOTHROYD: I don't think so here. He's collapsed his leg down, he's tried to con the referee into giving a free-kick. When Sean Dyche looks back at this, he will look at Gibbs-White trying to con the referee.

O'Reilly is not even punishing him, he's marking him from behind. He's grabbed his arm and fallen down. He's come unstuck.

Should Verbruggen have seen red for Brighton?

INCIDENT: Bart Verbruggen was shown a yellow card for his challenge on Viktor Gyokeres - but could he have been shown a red, NOT for denying a goal scoring opportunity but for the speed and recklessness of it?

DERMOT SAYS: It was reckless and reckless is a yellow card. He doesn't win the ball and Gyokeres is going away from goal, it is not a goal-scoring opportunity.

I didn't think anything other than a yellow.

JAY BOTHROYD: It thought it was dangerous. Gyokeres has done well, he knows he's the favourite. And Verbruggen has clattered him.

Because he's not in control of it, it should be a red card. It's like [Micky van de Ven's] Isak challenge, when you're reckless and throwing yourself into the ball, you're endangering players.

Why is a reckless challenge a yellow card? It's out of control and endangering players? Again, the terminology is confusing me.

That's a red card challenge all day long.

Did Arsenal deserve penalty for Jesus push?

INCIDENT: Should Gabriel Jesus have been awarded a penalty following a challenge from Ferdi Kadioglu in the final minute of the second half?

DERMOT SAYS: It's a coming together, no foul at all. Players make contact but it's a contact sport.

JAY BOTHROYD: I've been in that situation. To me, Gabriel Jesus is the favourite to head that ball. They haven't come shoulder to shoulder.

Kadioglu nudged him from behind and he's then headed it out. For me, that should be a penalty.

Should Chelsea have been given penalty vs Villa?

INCIDENT: Should Chelsea have had a penalty when winning 1-0 after the ball hit Ian Maatsen on the arm? VAR Paul Howard deemed the arm was in a natural position.

DERMOT SAYS: I've changed my mind. On Saturday, I thought handball but two things went in his favour.

He has his eyes closed because he thinks he's going to get clattered and it hits him high up on the arm.

JAY BOTHROYD: It's a tough one, because I can understand what Maatsen is doing here. He's thinking he will get smashed by his own keeper. he's tried to shut his eyes and hit his arm.

He's lucky, because Neto is there to put it in the back of the net. You have to give that a penalty, he's got away with one there.

He needs to be braver. If Neto wasn't there, then it's fine. But because he is there, that's the reason why it should have been given.

Did Newcastle deserve penalty at Man Utd?

INCIDENT: The main talking point from Man Utd vs Newcastle was a potential penalty for handball by Lisandro Martinez. It was checked by VAR but they stood with the on field decision.

Martinez is pushing defender Malik Thiaw - it was described as mutual contact by VAR - BUT he's still put his arms in an unnatural position?

DERMOT SAYS: Right call. I don't think the referee can see it but it comes off his own chest and onto his arm.

It bounces up onto his arm. I think it hits his chest.

JAY BOTHROYD: I don't think that's conclusive. The terminology confused me, they didn't even say it touched his chest.

I don't even know what 'mutual contact' means. Martinez is grappling. It looks like he's tried to push the defender away, his hands are there and that's an unnatural position.

But if they said it hits his body and then his arms, we don't have this conversation now.

The terminology is confusing for me. They're digging themselves a hole.

What to do with goalkeeper time-wasting after Ramsdale at Old Trafford?

INCIDENT: With Manchester United starting with a back four, Aaron Ramsdale went down with a suspected injury after 9 minutes. While he was receiving treatment, it looked like Newcastle were using the time to receive tactical instructions.

DERMOT SAYS: The referee is the victim as he has no power. The goalkeeper goes down and you can't play without a goalkeeper.

It is out of his hands.

JAY BOTHROYD: Something is going on there. If you've pulled your hamstring, you're not playing 90 minutes. You're kicking all the time, I think it's a toothache injury.

How we get around that? I don't know. Do we take a player off to match it up?

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Ref Watch: Ruben Dias should have been sent off for Man City against Nottingham Forest for second bookable offence on Igor Jesus