Cole Palmer should have been sent off for Chelsea against Tottenham 10 minutes before he actually was, according to a panel which assesses the decisions of Premier League referees and VARs.
The Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel felt Palmer should have been shown a straight red after he clashed with Spurs' Mateus Fernandes in the 70th minute of the match at Stamford Bridge on Oct. 24.
The five-person panel deemed the on-field decision by Chris Kavanagh was incorrect by 3-2. Three of the panellists felt Palmer's action on Fernandes was violent conduct worthy of a straight red, stating there was "clear contact to the head" and that his action was "unnecessary, dangerous and made with excessive force."
However, the panel unanimously supported the decision by VAR John Brooks not to recommend a review and stick with the referee's call of yellow card.
Palmer was sent off for a second yellow card in the 80th minute for a foul on Conor Gallagher.
The KMI Panel also felt Aston Villa should have been given a penalty in their win over Manchester City the same day when Elliot Anderson tangled with Johan Manzambi.
Three of the five-person panel felt Anderson made no attempt to win the ball and made his body bigger by moving across to block Manzambi.
Three of the panel felt VAR was right not to intervene and recommend a review, but two panellists disagreed and felt it was a clear and obvious error.
Across the season so far, the Premier League said 88 per cent of 162 incidents reviewed by the panel have been deemed to have been dealt with correctly on field, the same as at the equivalent stage of last season. Following VAR intervention, that increases to 99%.
The panel said VAR Jarred Gillett should have recommended referee Adam Herczeg review an incident just before half-time during the Coventry vs. Fulham fixture, even though it was satisfied with the outcome of no penalty to Fulham which was reached on field and by the VAR without the review.
- Xabi Alonso: Romeo Lavia 'in top form' after Chelsea beat Man United
- Arsenal got a big win at Liverpool, but why no Isak penalty?
The panel felt there was a clear and impactful holding action by Fulham's Calvin Bassey before the ball was in play from the corner kick, followed by a subsequent holding action by Coventry's Bradley Thomas-Asante when the ball was in play. The panel felt the VAR correctly identified both actions.
The panel said: "In this situation, as Bassey commits an offence before the ball is in play and the holding action of Thomas-Asante met the threshold for a penalty to be awarded, the VAR should recommend an on-field review to allow the referee to consider both holding actions and reach the correct outcome of retaken corner."
This season, the Premier League is part of a trial commissioned by the game's lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board, allowing VARs to intervene where an attacking player commits an offence before the ball is in play at a free-kick or corner and the offence has a direct impact on a goal being scored, a penalty being awarded or in certain red-card situations.