Referee Euan Anderson lost control of the situation which led to St Johnstone’s controversial defeat to St Mirren at the weekend, according to a high-profile former official.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, ex-English top-flight ref, Dermot Gallagher, was asked to assess Anderson’s decision to allow play to continue at McDiarmid Park when Toyosi Olusanya and Jack Sanders got involved in an incident that finished with the Perth centre-back on the turf and Saints having a penalty awarded against them.
With the game tied at 2-2, VAR intervened to alert Anderson to a Jason Holt handball in the box.
The Buddies scored to win the match, following a spot-kick retake.
Saints players and fans were incensed that Anderson didn’t blow his whistle after Sanders was pushed to the ground, which was Olusanya’s retaliation to a blatant shirt pull.
Both men were later yellow-carded.
“One was grabbing the shirt and the other was pushing him away,” said Gallagher.
“The referee obviously thought it was six and two threes, if you like, and played on.
“Once he plays on and that gets shot into the box, VAR was always going to pick that up and give a penalty.
“When you blow your whistle you’ve then got control of that situation.
“Once you let it unfold, you lose a lot of that because there are too many variables.”
And Gallagher reiterated that this is a black and white issue.
“This is when VAR does goalkeepers no favours because the slightest movement forward with both feet, you’re going to be penalised,” he said. “Retake.”
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