Mark Clattenburg has been speaking to We Are Palace about the controversy involving Marco Senesi during the thrilling Premier League encounter between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.
The Argentina international was adjudged to have fouled Ismaila Sarr as the Crystal Palace No.7 raced towards goal with no opposition defender ahead of him, but Jarred Gillett only brandished a yellow card.
A lengthy VAR check did nothing to change his mind – with the Australian feeling that the Senegal international was running away from goal and that there was also a covering defender.
Clattenburg – who oversaw 297 Premier League games in his career – has now told We Are Palace that Bournemouth were fortunate.
Exclusive: “Surprised” Mark Clattenburg calls Marco Senesi a “lucky boy”
The 50-year-old said: “Senesi is a lucky boy to escape a red card for bringing down Sarr – which stopped a goal scoring opportunity. When the tackle happens, Sarr has no covering defenders to stop his progress towards the penalty area.
“The only question for the match officials to consider is if the ball is going away from goal. The ball goes towards the penalty area and not to the touchline – Sarr could easily get to the ball and move inside the penalty area and be one on one with the goalkeeper. I am surprised.”
Clattenburg – who predicted a win for Crystal Palace – is spot on.
Had Gillett initially shown Senesi a red card, we doubt those in the VAR booth would have recommended a change to a yellow card – so it was one of those decisions that easily could have gone either way.
The decision seemed to ignite a spark in Crystal Palace, with Jean-Philippe Mateta quickly netting two goals in five minutes to drag the Eagles level, although an effort from Ryan Christie in the 89th minute looked to have secured all three points for Bournemouth.
Remarkably, the France international managed to seal a point and also his hat-trick in the 97th minute with an incredibly composed penalty.
Nevertheless, Oliver Glasner will undoubtedly point to that decision involving Senesi as a pivotal moment in the game, with Crystal Palace highly unlikely to have come so close to a defeat had the Cherries gone down to ten men in the 52nd minute.
