Mark Clattenburg says VAR made a big mistake in Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth

Mark Clattenburg says VAR made a big mistake in Crystal Palace 3-3 Bournemouth

Mark Clattenburg Says Marco Senesi Was “Lucky” to Avoid Red Card in Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth Clash

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has shared his thoughts with We Are Palace on the controversial decision involving Marco Senesi during Crystal Palace’s thrilling draw against Bournemouth.

The incident occurred when Ismaila Sarr burst through on goal with no defenders ahead of him, only to be brought down by Senesi. Referee Jarred Gillett deemed the challenge worthy of only a yellow card, and after a lengthy VAR review, the decision remained unchanged.

Officials reportedly believed that Sarr was running slightly away from goal and that there was a covering defender, factors that prevented the foul from being classified as a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

However, Clattenburg — who officiated 297 Premier League matches during his career — disagreed with that assessment, suggesting Bournemouth were fortunate.

“Senesi is a lucky boy to escape a red card for bringing down Sarr, which stopped a clear goalscoring opportunity,” Clattenburg told We Are Palace. “At the moment of the tackle, Sarr had no covering defenders to prevent his progress towards the penalty area.

“The only consideration for the officials should have been whether the ball was moving away from goal — but it clearly goes towards the penalty area. Sarr could have easily reached it and gone one-on-one with the goalkeeper. I’m surprised the red card wasn’t shown.”

Clattenburg went on to suggest that had Gillett initially issued a red card, VAR would not have overturned it, describing it as “one of those 50/50 calls that could have gone either way.”

The decision appeared to fire up Palace, as Jean-Philippe Mateta struck twice within five minutes to bring the Eagles level. Ryan Christie looked to have sealed victory for Bournemouth with a late goal in the 89th minute, only for Mateta to complete his hat-trick with an ice-cool penalty deep into stoppage time, rescuing a dramatic point for the hosts.

Even so, Palace boss Oliver Glasner is likely to view the Senesi incident as a defining moment. A red card for the Bournemouth defender in the 52nd minute could well have changed the outcome entirely, leaving Palace to wonder what might have been.