Match Report: Another Match Filled with Dodgy Decisions

I 100% agree the bias towards big teams is unacceptable. It’s even made me change what I thought was an entrenched dislike of VAR!

Poor defensive errors, low energy and not tracking back cost us far more goals in the last two games than refereeing decisions. That’s what we should concentrate on.

I don’t think we would have beaten United yesterday had the ref got things right. They would have stepped back up to their first half gear.

Its far more likely Brighton may have equalised had the referee not made an error in our favour and sent off Dunk by mistake but we all seem to have conveniently forgotten that to keep up the mantra that it’s referees that are hurting us.

All true apart from the last clause of the last sentence. I've said many times that in the matches against the other clubs there are decisions that go for us and against us and that's been fairly consistent through the years.

You only have to look at the Wilson 'magic' goal against a team that likes to believe it's one of the big guns when in reality they're just another also-ran. We've also had a number of, to be generous, soft penalties against those other clubs. At the same time I can remember that penalty given against us for Swansea or that horrible, horrible hack from Billy Jones against Sunderland where he wasn't sent off.

In the games against the other clubs the refs make incorrect key decision in both directions and as much as there may be a wailing and gnashing of teeth for the most part, once the initial anger has subsided, you accept it as it swings both ways.

The sad thing is I don't often even get angry about the decisions v the top six anymore. I mostly sigh and shake my head. I said from the outset of the VAR discussion that I was ambivalent about it and my main concern was that, as soon as it was mooted it was obvious it would happen so I wanted it to be the best system possible. However, like you, I'm now looking forward to it with relish. It won't right every wrong, we won't get every decision that we think we should get but it will at least maybe rebalance the scales of the key incorrect decisions in these matches at around 60-40 instead of the 95-5 where it is at the moment.
 
I’m not sure he did entirely SDD else he would have rested one of King or Wilson.

I would have played Ake in midfield like at Chelsea to answer r your question with Mings in at centre half to replace him.
To be honest playing Ake in midfield didn't work so well in my opinion. We definitely need midfield cover for Lerma (when's Gos back?) as we missed him at OT yesterday but playing Ake there isn't the answer
 

;