Martin Atkinson (Manchester City v Arsenal)

Manchester City 6-3 Arsenal

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Assistant 1: Stuart Burt

Assistant 2: Harry Lennard

4th Official: Robert Madley

TRR Assessor: Adam (Lancashire)
Date: 14/12/13
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Kick Off: 12:45
Competition: Premier League
Match Difficulty: Challenging

THE REFEREE

Foul Detection

GOOD

Comment...
The referee's foul detection was generally good. Most fouls were correctly identified, and while some were arguably missed or harshly awarded, the sheer tempo of the match meant it was difficult for the referee to be accurate with all foul decisions. On several ocassions throughout the match, the referee did well to let play continue, playing some good advantages. However, towards the end of the game, the referee missed some opportunities to play on and instead halted play unnecessarily. For example, in the 72nd minute, the referee awarded a free kick for a foul in the middle of the pitch, when the team still comfortably had possession of the ball. The penalty award to Manchester City in the 96th minute was the correct decision after a foul by Arsenal's #1 on Manchester City's #7. In the 57th minute, Arsenal had a handball penalty appeal rejected. The ball struck the defending player on the knee before striking his arm, which was in a natural position.


Positioning

SATISFACTORY

Comment...

The referee's positioning was satisfactory. Throughout the match, the referee often foul himself too close to play, and while the ball didn't strike the referee during the course of the match, the referee was in danger of this happening due to his positioning in fluid play. The referee also had his back to play too often, usually because he was too close to play and trying to avoid a collision with players or the ball. At set pieces, however, the referee's positioning was good. He stood in a position where he was able to get a different angle on play to the assistant, but still had a good view of the entire penalty area.

Man Management

GOOD

Comment...

The referee's man management was good. The referee was seen to be regularly talking to players, explaining decisions, warning players after fouls, and also just generally talking to players which was nice to note and will have helped with match control. On one occassion, after a foul by Manchester City's #9 in the first half, the referee called the player over to him and gave him a verbal warning. The same player gave the referee very few problems during the rest of the match, which shows how beneficial speaking to a player can be instead of showing cards.

Card Issuing

GOOD

Comment...
The referee's card issuing was generally good. All 3 cautions handed out by the referee were fully justified, including the caution shown to Arsenal's #1 for the foul on Manchester City's #7 which resulted in a penalty kick. The player was heading away from goal and therefore the yellow card was correct. However, some players were fortunate to escape cautions. Manchester City's #42 in particular can consider himself lucky after a high, poor challenge on Arsenal's #12 in the 54th minute. This should have most definitely resulted in at least a caution for the player.

Fitness

EXCELLENT

Comment...
The referee fitness was of an excellent standard in a game where his physical condition was put to the test.

THE ASSISTANT REFEREES

Assistant 1 - SATISFACTORY [7.8]
Assistant 2 - DISAPPOINTING [7.5]

Comment...
Both assistant referee's had quite a lot to do during the course of the match. Assistant 1 incorrectly flagged Arsenal's #12 and Arsenal's #23 in the second half. The latter resulted in a disallowed goal. Replay's showed that it was very tight call and the benefit should have gone to the attacker, who appeared to be level when the ball was played. 

Assistant 2 had a very poor game. He incorrectly flagged several times during the match, notably in the 37th minute and 2nd minute of stoppage time in the first half, where promising attacks were wrongly halted. Furthermore, Assistant 1 also appeared to miss several offsides early on in the match, and was also hesitant with some decisions. All in all, the assistant referee's were unconvincing.

OVERALL

GOOD

SCORE

8.3/10