It's all on the cards

Nine red cards, four penalties and several angry managers. It all made for a rather eventful weekend for the Premier League's referees. Amid the knee-jerk reactions and the damning headlines, however, how many of the flashpoints brought the appropriate response from the much-maligned officials?

The usual caveats apply - yes, players and managers are far from perfect themselves; yes, refereeing is a tough and thankless task; yes, this observer, like most of us, would be hopeless at it and yes, correct decisions tend to be ignored and mistakes highlighted - but does an examination of the weekend suggest enough of the major decisions are correct?

Arsenal 3 Tottenham 0 - referee: Mark Clattenburg

In theory the most difficult game of the weekend to referee, in reality it proved one of the easiest. Mark Clattenburg could have become the first man to brandish a red card when David Bentley, with a deliberate handball and a late challenge, committed two potentially bookable offences in the first few minutes. Clattenburg opted for leniency and didn't even caution the winger, but it was an indication of a laissez-faire approach that paid off later in the game. He played an excellent advantage as Bacary Sagna crossed for Robin van Persie to score Arsenal's third goal.

Birmingham 0 Manchester City 0 - referee: Mike Dean

Empics

Mike Dean in his pink shirt

Mike Dean was given a lurid pink shirt, but that proved the most unpleasant aspect of his afternoon at St Andrew's. Birmingham were awarded a penalty, subsequently missed by James McFadden, when Nigel de Jong handled after jumping with his arms raised. The hosts were reduced to 10 men deep in added time with the senseless dismissal of Barry Ferguson. Correctly cautioned earlier, the Scot blocked a quick throw-in by jumping to handle. A needless way to go, but Dean wasn't the culprit.

Bolton 0 Chelsea 4 - referee: Peter Walton

A match that turned on one incident. At the end of the first half, with scores level, Bolton's Jlloyd Samuel was sent off for a professional foul on Didier Drogba. It also resulted in a penalty, converted by Frank Lampard. The left-back was going for the ball, but he was the last defender and, despite Drogba's fondness for amateur dramatics, it was a foul. By the letter of the law, Peter Walton had no choice.

Burnley 2 Hull 0 - referee: Mike Jones

Oh dear, part one. It was not a game to savour for Mike Jones, the referee who gained infamy after "beachballgate". His errors began with the award of a penalty to Burnley, later scored by Graham Alexander, when Tyrone Mears tumbled, though Stephen Hunt seemed not to foul him. A second spot-kick decision brought another misjudgement. Jones initially played an advantage, allowing Hull's Kamel Ghilas to shoot, but without then awarding the penalty for Clarke Carlisle's mistimed challenge on Seyi Olofinjana. Then came perhaps the worst of all: ruling out Geovanni's precise free-kick for Olofinjana's involvement in the wall which, if technically correct, would result in every free kick being disallowed. In any event, the Brazilian's effort comfortably cleared a rather crowded wall. His resulting histrionics brought a booking for dissent - which would have been averted had Jones simply awarded the goal - and, within minutes, a second yellow card for a poor challenge.

Everton 1 Aston Villa 1 - referee: Lee Probert

Oh dear, part two. Lee Probert mounted a valiant attempt to keep up with Jones, but in the wrong sense. In an otherwise uneventful game, two players were sent off. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov went first for a challenge that was ruled worthy of an immediate dismissal. As it was one-footed and the Russian, rather than displaying any great malice, appeared to slip before fouling Stiliyan Petrov, it could have been a yellow or a red card; Probert opted for the harsher sanction. Yet Carlos Cuellar's exit - perhaps an attempt to even up the numbers - came for a tackle on Yakubu when replays showed the Spaniard got the ball. To compound a bad afternoon, Probert cautioned a rather bemused Stephen Warnock for a foul committed by Petrov.

Fulham 3 Liverpool 1 - referee: Lee Mason

JoeGiddens/GettyImages

Jamie Carragher gets his marching orders

Oh dear, part three? Perhaps, but Mason merits more sympathy than Jones and Probert. He had two difficult decisions and gave both against Liverpool. They ended the game with nine men, but could just as easily have completed it with a full complement of players. First to go was Philipp Degen for an ill-judged lunge at Clint Dempsey. It was definitely clumsy, but probably not dangerous; it was at least a caution, but Mason opted to send the Swiss off. Then there was Jamie Carragher's exit: Liverpool's stand-in captain won the ball - something Fulham's Bobby Zamora also appeared to say - although to complicate the matter he had tugged the striker before tackling him. Perhaps Mason was considering an earlier challenge by Carragher on Zamora that may have been more of a foul; maybe he was thinking of the defender's halting of Michael Owen at Anfield six days earlier that rightly resulted in a yellow card. But neither should have influenced his decision.

Manchester United 2 Blackburn Rovers 0 - referee: Phil Dowd

A comparatively quiet game for Phil Dowd, but he was hampered by his assistants. With the match entering added time, Benni McCarthy shot, Edwin van der Sar pushed it out and Nikola Kalinic put in the rebound. Blackburn's Croatian striker was clearly onside, but was adjudged offside. An officiating error, but not cause to blame Dowd.

Portsmouth 4 Wigan 0 - referee: Alan Wiley

Few problems for Alan Wiley. Even his penalty decision - correctly given for Emmerson Boyce's foul on Kanu - came when Portsmouth had a three-goal lead. It certainly didn't change the game, though it did allow Aruna Dindane to complete a hat-trick.

Stoke 2 Wolves 2 - referee: Chris Foy

For Phil Dowd, read Chris Foy. Another incorrect offside decision but, once again, another referee who did not make the mistake. For the first of his brace, Jody Craddock was offside when Christophe Berra headed the ball into his path. Once again, the assistant referee ruled wrongly. Ultimately, it cost Stoke City.

Sunderland 2 West Ham 2 - referee: Andre Marriner

Saturday's third game to feature two red cards, but the only one where the officials should not be questioned. Kenwyne Jones' forceful shove on Herita Ilunga brought a histrionic reaction that angered Steve Bruce, but it merited a dismissal. Radoslav Kovac's sending-off for two bookings should be equally uncontroversial and Andre Marriner should escape censure.

The final tally includes one wrongly disallowed goal and one incorrectly awarded strike plus nine dismissals. Of those, only four - of Ferguson, Samuel, Jones and Kovac - should not be disputed. Cuellar's was the clearest mistake, while Geovanni's was the direct consequence of another. Bilyaletdinov, Carragher and Degen could all have stayed on the pitch. Depending upon interpretation, anything from 11% to 56% of the red cards were poor decisions. If the former statistic approaches acceptability in a difficult job, the latter is a frightening figure.