Now that is a very good question RedHarry, and I agree with you. I thought it was holding, and suspect that the later admission of a Trip was to justify the non-award of a penalty kick. Conspiracy abounds!
No, not necessarily so, JIMNNINA. If it was deemed a, CARELESS foul,, that is not a cautionable offense in itself. If it was to Stop a Promising Attack (SPA), then a caution is warranted. Again the pressure to get the decision right, precedes all else, Does anyone know if the opponent doing the holding, had already been cautioned, and this would have been a Send-Off?
You know, if you haven't officiated at an elite level of the game, it is so difficult to understand all the stresses that the match official experiences, and all in such a very short time, and knowing that everyone in the ground and watching on television is second-guessing you.
Most of the time, these men and women get it right, and we ought to credit them for that. Having said that, the energy which 60,000 home supporters can create is an influence of a match official, much more so that 10,000 people typically generate.
I don't believe in any conspiracy to reward the top seven teams over a lower-placed team, but they often seem to receive the benefit of any doubt in a decision. For that I usually credit the fan base.