Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher explains Fernando Torres' red card

Gallagher: Former Premier League referee

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher says Mark Clattenburg was right to apply one of the laws of the game when sending Chelsea striker Fernando Torres off against Manchester United.

Sky Sports News pundit Gallagher telephoned referee Clattenburg following the controversial Stamford Bridge encounter to ask him why he had shown Torres a second yellow card for diving.

Clattenburg, accused by Chelsea of using "inappropriate language" towards two of their players in a separate incident, told Gallagher he felt the Spain forward had overrun the ball before going down after being challenged by United's Jonny Evans.

Gallagher said: "What Mark has said is he felt it was an over-exaggerated fall. It wasn't natural. He's tried to deceive him, to get a free-kick and Jonny Evans into trouble. Therefore in law 12 of the game he's well within his right to caution for a yellow card offence.

"Like everything in football it's subjective, he has his opinion. I thought it was a foul (but) I've seen it many, many times in replay and I've had a facilty to blow it up."

Gallagher added that he could not speculate on Chelsea's complaint of inappropriate language but revealed Clattenburg had impressed him enormously last season.

He said: "I thought the two best performances last season were in two of the Manchester derbies. Ironically Mark Clattenburg was referee when City won at United 6-1. I thought it was absolutely exceptional."

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