Referee Oliver Got Decisions Spot On...

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There were a couple of problems posed by referee Anthony Taylor on Saturday. One is that he looks so much like Fulham striker Andrew Johnson that I keep calling him Anthony Johnson, which is steadily drifting into 'Anthony and the Johnsons'. The other is that he had an absolute nightmare at the Boleyn Ground, managing to leave both managers and sets of fans believing that he cost them - or could have cost them - the game. That's a rare art.

We can first take care of the two red cards, which in essence was one decision, as once the first was made the second inevitably followed.

Carlton Cole was sent off for a high boot on Leighton Baines, at which even Everton players were not outraged. Sure, they wanted a free-kick, but you could tell that no-one in the vicinity of the incident suspected a sending-off until the red card emerged from Mr And The Johnsons' pocket.

I think it was almost the very definition of dangerous play, with the boot coming high enough that it could have hurt Baines, but there was no malice, and it was not done with excessive force or brutality, as is necessary for a red card. Later on, Darren Gibson did almost exactly the same thing, and it meant that the referee had to repeat the dose.

As for the disallowed goal, I didn't see anything hugely wrong. I thought Victor Anichebe made himself big and strong in front of goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, as is his prerogative. It didn't look illegal to me. Interestingly, it wasn't the only decision of this kind over the weekend, and when something similar occurred, the same consensus was not met by another referee.

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I saw absolutely nothing wrong with the Manchester City winner - other than the fact it took them nearly 100 minutes to score against the league's bottom club.

There isn't any doubt that Gareth Barry was climbing on Nicky Shorey as he headed goalwards, but the Reading defender clearly saw Barry coming, and stuck his backside out to try to block the run. As soon as he makes that move, you can't blame Barry for going over the back of him. It's a completely different situation should Shorey try to challenge for the ball and Barry plough through him.

But he didn't. He tried to stop Barry from playing it, and deny him the opportunity illegally. The only player doing anything wrong in my eyes was the defender, and he had a goal scored against him as just desserts.

I'm also not having that Reading should have had a penalty. Was Jay Tabb was bundled over by City debutant Karim Rekik? Sometimes people run into one another, and that's just the way it is. As for the suggestion that there was a handball as the ball came across, the guy's arm is by the side of his body, not in an unnatural position, and I don't believe it was deliberate.

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I have a little more sympathy for Norwich in their loss at West Bromwich - but not much.

It was unfortunate that Albion were given a corner when it was one of their heads, Zoltan Gera, not a Norwich defender, which met a right-wing cross by Lukaku. However, I can see how it was given; it was a very tricky call for the officials, who are confronted with several players on each side appealing for a decision dozens of times per match.

This call was wrong, there's no disputing that, but it was an honest mistake, not a massive, hugely avoidable, error. Put simply, I just don't think there was any distinct foul from the resultant set-piece. All the talk of refereeing consistency and 'ten penalties every game' and all sorts of other clichés, nonsense and blah-blah is irrelevant to me.

Just have a look at it, and if you see a foul, you give it. I didn't see one. I saw people challenging fairly for the ball, and eventually that ball ending up in the net.

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Another over-used word in football - and I'm guilty of this one, too - is the word 'soft' when describing a penalty decision. What does it mean? Does it mean 'correct, but unlucky'? If so, then Wigan giving away a penalty on Theo Walcott for Arsenal on Saturday was indeed 'soft'.

It was definitely a penalty, though. One of the arts of good attacking play is to take the ball at pace and get across an opponent. That is good, skilful play, and it's what Walcott did. Drawing a foul is an art, and this was achieved. Jean Beausejour bumped into Walcott and he had earned the right to go down. Definite pen for me.

The handball calls against Kieran Gibbs and Thomas Vermaelen are exceptionally difficult to judge. On the one hand, as it were, you have the aforementioned 'unnatural position' clause, and I'd argue that both of them shifted their arms in unnatural stances. However, I was taught that if a ball is handled in front of the body, and if the arm was not there it would have hit the body anyway, then it is not an automatic penalty.

I think this might be one of my 'creosote' moments, where I attach myself rather firmly to a non-specific fence. I'd say that I have no real problem with the pens not being given, but had either or both been awarded, then I probably wouldn't have had too many issues, either.

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If someone bashed a football at my head when I was lying on the ground, I think I'd be very tempted to jump up and confront them. I guess most of you would too. However, I'd be a little bit embarrassed if someone else suggested on my behalf that I could have been killed.

I thought that Ashley Williams was pretty stupid and knew that kicking the ball in frustration could mean that it hit someone. Watching his eyes as he belts it, you can see that he knew exactly where Robin Van Persie was. After the game he admitted that he was kicking the ball in frustration, though he promised he wasn't deliberately going for Van Persie's bonce. Kicking the ball away like that, in temper, basically means a caution anyway, though.

As, indeed, does jumping up and grabbing the bloke by the shirt and having a pop. As much as, as a man, I might have done the same thing, as a referee I would have cautioned both players for their offences. Which, funnily enough, is what Michael Oliver did. I've been a critic of his a few times, but I thought he had a decent game and dealt with this situation very well, and in a very calm manner. I think the referee got it spot on, and I also think he was right to not give Manchester United a penalty when the ball struck Ben Davies, who for me was simply keeping his arm in a fair position.

(Interestingly, if you watch the flare-up again, the reason RVP slipped over before confronting Williams is because Chico Flores slyly tripped him up.)

As far as Sir Alex Ferguson's post-match words, I just take them with a pinch of salt and dismiss them as a bit of frustration after drawing at Swansea. They were extreme words which he probably regrets, but I suspect might be too proud to retract.

Turn the incident in question on its head. How ridiculous would it be if you were in the pub talking a non-football supporting mate, and you explained that there was a sending-off in the Swansea v Manchester United game because someone kicked a ball at another lad's head?

Rob McNichol (he's on Twitter, you know)