[Ikki]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

That's pathetic, giving a goal kick instead of a corner is a tiny and insignificant decision that has no bearing on the game. You can trace any goal back to a throw-in that should have gone the other way or a borderline free-kick. If Holland hadn't spontaneously decided to defend like spanners for the last five minutes no one would be talking about such minor calls. I thought he did a good job too, in one of the most difficult matches to referee of all time.

Didn't they score on the counter where the ref should have called the Elija foul?

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Well if I'm right about the immediate dismissal guidelines, he only really had two options- red card+immediate free kick, or nothing at all. Given that Robben stayed on his feet, it's reasonable to assume he'd have preferred the latter, so that's what Webb gave him. That seems like common sense to me.

Seriously tough spot to make a decision, in any case. As I mentioned before, the ref who sent Lehmann off in the Arsenal-Barca cup final came under even more criticism than Webb has. Damned if you do...

I may have missed something, but what about Webb playing advantage and then giving Puyol his second yellow at the first break of play?