Mike doing job he loves... and doing it right
IT WAS good to see Mike Dean back doing the job he loves — and he was absolutely right to send off Semi Ajayi.
Mike didn’t see Ajayi handle the ball but VAR Michael Oliver suggested he should take a look on the monitor and once there it was clear what course of action he would have to take.
Ajayi denied Matej Vydra a clear run on goal and it was a definite red card. As for the claim against Kyle Bartley, my feeling is that VAR decided the ball bounced up and hit his hand so it wasn’t deliberate. Though I imagine had Mike given a penalty in the first place it would probably have stood.
It’s been a tough time for Mike, who has refereed more than 500 games and is a football man through and through. He’s back refereeing, a job he loves, and everything else is forgotten.