Dermot Gallagher discusses controversial decisions in the Premier League on behalf of Sky Sports after every round.
The former top referee has now made his appeal over these incidents in the Brentford – Newcastle match.
Dermot Gallagher looks at what happened during key moments in this match at the GTech Community Stadium.
Brentford and Newcastle United in a match not without incidents…
Dermot Gallagher in conversation Air sports about these controversial incidents between Brentford and Newcastle:
INCIDENT:
‘Why was a Doku pin given (for Man City v Liverpool) – but not Ouattara (for Brentford v Newcastle)?
‘On the trip from Newcastle to Brentford, Dan Burn fouled Dango Ouattara, but there was no penalty and Ouattara booked for simulation (but as we saw at the Etihad, there was contact. VAR Paul Tierney said ‘minimal contact’, so are we seeing a lack of consistency?).”
DERMOT GALLAGHER:
“This is where a referee can’t win and there has been contact [from Burn on Ouattara]there’s no doubt about that.
“I can’t defend that, there is contact. I understand why the referee gives a yellow card and then goes back to ‘does it meet the threshold for a penalty?’. The VAR says no.
“There is contact and with the Doku there is contact. They are polar oppositions with a penalty on one side and yellow on the other.”
“That’s the life of a referee. It’s so difficult. He gets a yellow card because he thinks Ouattara is cheating him to win a penalty. The VAR says it’s not enough to give a penalty.”
INCIDENT:
‘Dan Burn and Dango Outtara came together again later in the match. This time Burn was sent off and Brentford were awarded a penalty.’
DERMOT GALLAGHER:
“It is [correct]. At the time I thought it was a foul and he was already on yellow.
“When he gets a second yellow card he says to the referee: ‘I accept it’, so he knew.”
My conclusions
I think Brentford definitely deserved to win.
However, I don’t believe these were both penalties and therefore Dan Burn should not have been sent off.
In the first, Dan Burn barely touched him and the Brentford player threw himself to the ground. The fact that there is minimal contact does not mean that you will be penalized for throwing yourself theatrically onto the turf. There is contact all over the field throughout the match, but in most cases there is no free kick (or penalty kick).
As for the second, I couldn’t see any contact. Even if there was minimal touch, again it wasn’t nearly enough for the player to hit the deck.
Brentford 3 Newcastle 1 – Sunday 9 November 2025 2pm
Match statistics
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Barnes 27, red card 73
Brentford:
Damage 56, Thiago 78 pen, 90+5
Possess was Newcastle 51% Brentford 49%
Total shots were Newcastle 5 Brentford 15
Shots on target were Newcastle 1 Brentford 7
Corners were Newcastle 2 Brentford 6
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 16 Brentford 35
Newcastle team vs Brentford:
Pope (Ramsdale 77), Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Bruno (Miley 96), Joelinton (Ramsey 24), Tonali (Willock 77), Murphy (Elanga 77), Woltemade, Barnes (Hal 77)
subtitles:
Ramsdale, Schar, Lascelles, Krafth
#top #referee #rules #controversial #incidents #Brentford #Newcastle