When Jamaal Lascelles challenged Lukasz Fabianski for a cross on Saturday evening, the referee immediately blew for a free kick.
Normally this decision wouldn’t have got a reaction, but a similar incident occurred weeks earlier that cost Newcastle.
Where is the consistency?
Of course, we’re talking about Willy Boly’s last minute equaliser against us at Molineux. The Magpies were 1-0 up thanks to Isaac Hayden, but all three points were snatched away when Boly headed home in the final minute to make it 1-1.
But when the Wolves defender challenged for the ball, he collided with Martin Dubravka. Apparently this wasn’t deemed a foul, and the goal stood.
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The immediate reaction was that Dubravka should have been stronger, but replays clearly showed that Boly made contact with the goalkeeper.
So why was this foul not given, but the one on Saturday night was? Lascelles’ challenge was correctly given as a foul, but the decision has to sting a little when we don’t get the same ones given in our favour. That mistake the other week cost us two vital points.
Surely both incidents are either both a foul or they’re both legal.
The lack of consistency from referees is a clear problem in the Premier League, and this is an obvious example.