Mike Dean speaks on Chelsea vs Tottenham game

Video Assistant Referee Mike Dean in a recent statement spoke on the game between Chelsea and Tottenham last weekend.

Dean said he should have recommended referee Anthony Taylor review Cristian Romero’s hair pull on Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella for a possible red card.

But instead, Dean decided against any punishment for Romero at the time, an action which sparked a reaction from Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and other Blues fans.

In his Daily Mail column, Dean admitted: “No referee wants to be driving home from a game knowing they should have made a different call. Sometimes in hindsight, you realise you could have acted differently.

“For the second goal by Harry Kane, I asked referee Anthony Taylor to wait while I looked at the incident involving Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella.

“I could not award a free-kick as VAR, but I could recommend to Taylor that he visit the referee review area to consider a possible red card. In the few seconds I had to study Romero pulling Cucurella’s hair, I didn’t deem it a violent act.

“I’ve since studied the footage, spoken to other referees and, upon reflection, I should have asked Taylor to visit his pitch-side monitor to take a look for himself. The referee on field always has the final say.”