Using video would have cleared up the doubt about Brighton’s winner

For all Newcastle’s protests about Tomer Hemed’s winner, a referee can give only what he sees and Andre Marriner presumably did not witness a push by Brighton’s Bruno in the lead-up to the goal.

These situations are too important for him to guess at so, unless a referee is sure that a foul occurred, he cannot rule out a goal on the basis of a hunch.

Judging what goes on in a penalty area and, crucially, if anyone is to blame, is one of the most difficult challenges facing a referee. Sometimes, four or five players are engaging in their own personal battles, taking your eye in different directions. At other times, players get in your way, blocking out a key piece of action.

It is always a lottery when the ball enters the area from a dead-ball situation. In this regard, a problem has been building over the years and the only way to stop it is to penalise when you see a foul because we must reward skill over brute force. This is football, not rugby.

If a referee is unsure, he relies on an assistant with a better view. Introducing video assistant referees would help officials but the Premier League has decided not to bring it in yet.

I believe technology would bring clarity in these situations. Seeing something from a different angle is often key to a right decision. We get this all the time in rugby union when they go through four or five different views. Why can’t the same thing happen in football? Without it, wrong calls bring wrong results and harm referees’ reputations.

At Everton, I think Martin Atkinson was right not to penalise Simon Francis for his elbow on Wayne Rooney even though it injured him. The key to these situations is often whether a player has his arm raised above his head. If the fist is clenched and the elbow bent, you know it is being done with a degree of force. This was not the case on Saturday.

Keith Hackett is a former referee and resident expert for You-are-the-ref.com