Referee Chief Drops Bombshell Verdict on Diogo Dalot's Controversial Derby Red Card
Howard Webb, the head of Premier League referees, has defended VAR's decision not to recommend a red card for Diogo Dalot in the recent Manchester derby clash.
Early in the match, just 11 minutes in, Dalot made contact with Manchester City's Jérémy Doku high on the knee—an incident that match referee Anthony Taylor judged deserving of a yellow card. A brief VAR review did not lead to an upgraded punishment.
Consequently, Dalot stayed on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes, contributing to Manchester United's memorable 2–0 triumph.
The choice not to send off Dalot for what was clearly a high tackle has sparked debate, with several former officials suggesting it merited a red card. Webb, though, disagreed with this assessment.
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"Was there excessive force? Some might argue yes," he stated on Match Officials Mic'd Up. "I'm not entirely convinced, though I understand that perspective.
"It's a matter of subjective interpretation ... but I completely support that once the on-field decision is made, we respect it as the referee's judgment and don't interfere with VAR.
"I believe it's a situation where the referee's original decision should be upheld. That's our established approach when multiple factors are involved.
"I think various elements were at play, and in this case, it was correct to maintain the referee's original call."
Webb: Slow Motion Makes Every Challenge Look Worse
Webb: Slow Motion Makes Every Challenge Look Worse
Webb proceeded to emphasize to disappointed supporters that such incidents should be evaluated at normal speed, noting that freeze-frame images of the United player's boot making contact with Doku's knee appear much more severe than the actual incident.
"When viewed at normal pace, in real time, you can observe there wasn't significant velocity in the movement, not much force," he explained.
"We faced substantial criticism years ago for relying on slow motion and still frames because critics argued, 'This doesn't reflect reality or how football is actually played.'
"When slowed down, incidents can appear much more serious—and they do. With freeze frames, you can make many situations appear like red card violations.
"Certainly, it might warrant red, but you must consider viewing it at normal speed. We've adopted this approach for quite some time. We recognized the validity of past criticism when people said, 'Stop relying on slow-motion as your primary analysis method.' We listened, agreed, and now view incidents at full speed first. Then we reduce the speed slightly to identify the precise contact point and factor that into our assessment.
"But without significant speed, force, and intensity, it's improbable to constitute a red card offense."