VAR debut didn't go according to plan
Chelsea had a difficult assignment at the Hill Dickinson Stadium against an Everton side that had one of the meanest defences in the league so far this season.
Whilst not one of the headline games of the weekend, Pro Ref had sprung something of a surprise with the choice of one official, as Nicholas Hopton was making his debut as the VAR.
Much of the first half had passed without incident, and any issues arising were swiftly dealt with by referee Paul Tierney. Hopton certainly fluffed his lines near half-time, however.
"Jordan Henderson and James Tarkowski had a bit of an argument after Morgan Rogers shoved Tarkowski over. Replays show Tarkowski started that one and Rogers responded. Both are rightly yellow-carded, but Rogers should've received a red card," Hackett noted.
"He comes into the challenge with excessive force and both feet off the ground, making contact with his opponent around the knee. It fulfils the law for a serious foul play challenge, so why no red card?
"Where is VAR?!
"The game does not want to see that type of challenge, and James Garner, on the receiving end of the challenge, had to go off for treatment."
Later in the game, Cole Palmer needlessly involved himself in a situation for no apparent reason, and was dealt with accordingly.
"Harrison Armstrong was pulled down by Moises Caicedo; however, Cole Palmer decided he wanted to tell the referee he was wrong and received a yellow card," Hackett raged.
"A top-class player who frankly needs to keep his mouth shut, and who was lucky to escape a red card for a reckless challenge on Jarrad Branthwaite in stoppage time."
Brilliant performance from John Brooks and Darren England
In a sign of just how misaligned Pro Ref officials are, and perhaps why managers often find themselves at the end of their tether when trying to make sense of certain refereeing decisions, John Brooks and his VAR, Darren England, got a decision spot on during the Brentford vs Liverpool encounter.
"Alexis Mac Allister wasn't getting to the ball, but he went down after a sliding challenge from Dango Ouattara, and Liverpool were awarded a penalty," Hackett added.
"The decision was checked by VAR as it looked like the Brentford player got the ball, and after review, the penalty award was rescinded.
"It was a great tackle by Ouattara, and the video review quickly showed this to John Brooks. This is exactly how VAR should operate, and it was an excellent example of the VAR/referee review working in tandem."
The officials got it exactly right again before half-time.
"Jeremy Jacquet went down holding his face in the Brentford penalty area, and it looked like Yehor Yarmoliuk moved his head towards the Liverpool defender while they were waiting for a corner to be delivered," Hackett observed.
"VAR checked it, and Yarmoliuk was correctly red-carded. John Brooks took a while to look at the replays, but he eventually returned to the pitch with the red card in his hand.
"Brooks and his team can be rightly proud after they delivered a top-class performance."
Botman deserved a red
Over at St. James' Park, a struggling Newcastle side hosted Aston Villa, and the Magpies' frustrations could best be seen by the way in which Sven Botman scythed down his opponent.
"Referee Jarret Gillett issued a yellow card to Botman, and after a VAR check, the booking was confirmed as sufficient," Hackett said.
"However, Botman was off the ground and out of control. His challenge was made with excessive force and should have been sanctioned with a red card. It endangered the safety of his opponent and met the threshold for Serious Foul Play.
"Though several yellow cards thereafter - Joao Gomes, Alysson, Nico Gonzalez, Malick Thiaw and Joelinton - were correctly administered, the inability to award the red is a serious failing on the part of the officials."
Controversy at Man City wasn't courtesy of the officials
In the Man City vs Ipswich game, relative newcomers, Farsi Hallam and Andrew Kitchen, the referee and VAR respectively, would've had to contend with another bullish atmosphere, and one that's going to follow City home and away until a verdict is given as to the charges levied against them.
Fortunately for the officials, they were excellent on the day, and any controversy was not of their doing.
"Both these officials have made excellent progress in their careers, with Farsi Hallam delivering some excellent performances," Hackett raved.
"I would also like to see Andrew Kitchen, another official who has delivered some very good performances in the Championship, being awarded a Premier League middle.
"Erling Haaland thought he'd got his hat-trick, but VAR took a look, and as Enzo Fernandez was standing in an offside position, it was the correct decision to rule out the goal.
"VAR also told the referee to look at a challenge later in the game when Marc Guehi brought down Abdul Fatawu, with the award of a penalty being the result. It was an excellent intervention from Kitchen, and a terrific all-round performance from the match officials in this game."
DOGSO downs Danso
Down on the South Coast, Bournemouth were in dire need of some points, and their desperation would be evident in the manner of their play.
Sunderland aren't having the best season themselves, and their cause wasn't helped by an early sending-off.
"Kevin Danso is correctly shown a red card for the Denial of an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO), and Craig Pawson had no option but to dismiss him. Well done, referee," Hackett enthused.
"Later in the game, screams for a Bournemouth penalty after the ball struck the hand of Nordi Mukiele were waved away, but the referee was 100% correct in turning those appeals down."
Feisty encounter at Elland Road
One of the games of the weekend would take place at Elland Road, as Leeds hosted an underperforming Man Utd side.
Referee Darren England would shoulder the responsibility of keeping the game flowing along with VAR Peter Bankes. In a feisty encounter, they and their colleagues did reasonably well, though still muddled one or two flashpoints.
"A reckless challenge by Ethan Ampadu, who launched himself into Carlos Baleba, should've seen a card," Hackett suggested.
"Darren England had a busy game in the VAR room observing the Brentford vs Liverpool game that produced two red cards, and though he surely didn't want to brandish a card early in this game, he should have done so.
"Bruno Fernandes then went in heavy on Tarik Muharemovic, and play was allowed to continue with the referee applying an advantage. That seemed like a nasty one.
"England did reach for his pocket after a natural break in play, issuing the Portuguese a yellow card, and that was a good piece of officiating.
"Where the refereeing team let themselves down came when Gabriel Gudmundsson brought down Andrey Santos. It was a naughty challenge for which he went into the book, but, frankly, for me, that was serious foul play, and he should have seen a red card for the contact with the opponent's Achilles."
Piece of cake for Michael Oliver at the City Ground
Arsenal needed a win at Nottingham Forest to keep pace with runaway leaders, Man City, though with four of their last five visits to the City Ground seeing the Gunners not even managing to score, it could've been a tall order for Mikel Arteta's side.
Michael Oliver was given the whistle for the 'Super Sunday' game and had little to do for the most part.
"The first yellow card of the game went to Neco Williams for a reckless challenge bringing down Bukayo Saka," Hackett said. "I don't think the Forest man can argue; Saka had rinsed him.
"A very poor first half with a lot of huffing and puffing, and a relatively easy match for Michael Oliver to oversee."
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
