Mark Clattenburg shared his thoughts on the controversial incident involving Marco Senesi during the recent clash between Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, speaking exclusively to We Are Palace.
Senesi was involved in a contentious incident where he fouled Ismaila Sarr, who was through on goal, but only received a yellow card from referee Jarred Gillett, a decision that was upheld after a VAR review.
Clattenburg, a seasoned Premier League official, expressed his surprise at Senesi not being shown a red card, considering the situation as a clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. He highlighted that Sarr had a clear path towards the penalty area with no defenders to impede his progress, emphasizing that the ball was heading towards goal.
The former referee noted that such decisions can sway either way and mentioned that if a red card was initially issued, it was unlikely to be overturned by VAR.
Despite the controversial incident, Crystal Palace capitalized on the momentum shift, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring two quick goals to level the score. Although Bournemouth appeared to secure the win through Ryan Christie’s late goal, Mateta’s composed penalty in extra time salvaged a point for Palace.
While Bournemouth manager Oliver Glasner may look back at the Senesi incident as a crucial point in the match, the late drama and Mateta’s hat-trick ultimately provided an unexpected twist to the encounter.
