Former referee gives verdict on Erling Haaland penalty for Man City after Chelsea complaints
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher says he can understand why Erling Haaland won a penalty in Manchester City's clash with Chelsea.
The Norwegian grappled with Marc Cucurella before going to ground after feeling the defender's hand on his arm. People questioned the decision at the time as Haaland looked to initiate the contact with Cucurella in the first instance before heading to ground easily.
But Gallagher felt that it was clearly a penalty. He made particular reference to the camera angles that were being shown on the replays as a deciding factor.
«When you see it sideways on, you can't unsee it,» he told Sky Sports. «They're both grabbing at each other.
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»Cucurella doesn't let go and hauls him to the ground. I can see why the referee has given it.
«The assistant has obviously got the best view and he's confirmed that to the VAR. It's never ever going to be overturned by VAR.»
Gallagher also had his view on an earlier tangle in the box between Jeremy Doku and Moses Caicedo with the Chelsea man then falling into Reece James. Doku appeared to slightly nudge Caicedo as he jumped for the aerial ball but contact was generally minimal.
«That one, I think not. There was no reaction from anybody and it was almost like 'How far do you go back?' but I didn't think that was a foul.»
Pundit Danny Mills questioned whether Gallagher would have awarded the penalty if Haaland had scored. Here, the 66-year-old goes against his initial viewpoint and says he would have refrained from pointing to the spot.
«I think not because when you see the
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