Darren Bond made a controversial call during Crystal Palace 1-0 Tottenham on Sunday involving Ismaila Sarr and Micky van de Ven, but there was another odd moment nobody is talking about.
Much has been said about the challenge on the Senegal international from the Netherlands international, with the Tottenham No.37 only receiving a yellow card for the foul, despite being the last man.
Those on the Ref Watch panel for Sky Sports agreed with Bond, pinpointing the fact Sarr was running away from goal as the main reason for a yellow being shown instead of a red.
However, there was another moment involving Maxence Lacroix which Crystal Palace fans have every reason to be annoyed about – Oliver Glasner certainly was.
Maxence Lacroix unfairly forced to walk a tightrope for 30 minutes after bizarre yellow card
In the 61st minute, Bond decided to book Lacroix for kicking the ball away, which – by the letter of the law – is only a bookable offence on the basis of whether it delays the opposition from quickly restarting the game.
There are two reasons why this was a bizarre decision.
Firstly, Lacroix – who celebrated passionately with fans – had already set himself to clear the ball before Bond sounded his whistle, making it tough for the Frenchman to cancel that action in less than a second.
Secondly – and most crucially – there was no restarting of the play to be delayed in the first place, as Tottenham were just about to stop play themselves to bring Timo Werner, Richarlison and Pape Sarr on.
Glasner was understandably furious at Bond’s decision, as cameras showed the Austrian gesticulating wildly on the sideline, even discussing the moment with Richarlison, who also visibly put his hands out in bemusement in agreement with the 50-year-old.
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Crystal Palace hard done by against Tottenham
Of course, a yellow card is hardly going to be a major talking point, but it meant the £15.2m Lacroix had to walk on thin ice for around half an hour against a strong Spurs side, which could well have cost us the win – which moves us into 17th.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 6 |
Putting that moment aside, the aforementioned challenge on Sarr from Van de Ven easily could have been a straight red card, as the Crystal Palace No.7 only needed to take one touch towards the right to be in on Guglielmo Vicario’s goal.
Furthermore, Eberechi Eze appeared to be dragged down just as he seemed certain to put us 2-0 ahead on Sunday, another decision Bond ruled in favour of Tottenham.
Fortunately, we still managed to secure all three points, on a day where the officials seemed determined not to let that happen.
