In the 67th minute at Selhurst Park, referee David Coote gave Takehiro Tomiyasu a second yellow card. According to the black-ckled king, the Japanese defender pulled Jordan Ayew's shirt in a counter-attack that was considered dangerous by Crystal Palace. Tomiyasu initially thought it was not a serious situation so he turned away, but he could not help but be shocked when he saw Mr. Coote with a second yellow card, thereby indirectly a red card.
Arsenal players and coaching staff argued fiercely, saying that the referee team needed to review VAR, but Mr. Coote refused. Fortunately for the "Gunners", they still left with 3 full points. Otherwise, Mikel Arteta will be in the press conference room after this difficult London Derby.
In the Premier League's VAR regulations, there are 4 decisions that make the referee and the referee team use VAR: awarding a goal, issuing a penalty, determining the player is really at fault, the situation leading to a direct red card. However, it absolutely does not mention the situations of receiving a second yellow card and Tomiyasu is becoming a victim of this vulnerability.
The harshness for Tomiyasu in this match was the 2 yellow cards he received. In the first card, the Japanese star was punished for being determined to have stopped the ball for 8 seconds in the throw-in. That was when Arsenal were not deploying the game too quickly and the game was not so tense that Tomiyasu needed to watch. Both of Arsenal's cards are considered quite heavy on the occasion, especially the second one coming too early, which could cause Arsenal to collapse when playing with one less player from the 67th minute.
Why will VAR consider a direct red card and a second yellow card (similar to a red card)? According to The Athletic, yellow cards are not considered by referees to be a factor that can directly affect the match, whether it is a first or second card. It is possible that Mr. Coote was too mechanical or accidentally did not care with the second yellow card given to Tomiyasu, leading to this indirect red card situation.
Author Nick Miller of The Athletic commented, why is there a difference between a red card and a second yellow card? A certain case is considered, but the remaining case does not chance to appear in the referees' heads?
This season's Premier League is tightening the penalty for acts on the pitch. Referees are " empowered" to withdraw more cards. In theory, this will help serious matches and have fewer bad plays. However, being too strict could lead to a game-changer like a yellow card for Tomiyasu.
Not every team is as lucky and strong as Arsenal and Liverpool. They lost players in the matches against Palace and Bournemouth quite early but still won. Is that making it easier for Premier League refereees to make their red card decisions because if they do, that team will still win?
