Overview
- Dominic Calvert‑Lewin, reviewed on Sunday at Wembley, avoided any card after VAR checked an apparent pull on Marc Cucurella’s hair and referee Jarred Gillett let play continue.
- TNT Sports reported that VAR official Paul Howard told the referee the contact was with the flat of the hand, so officials judged there was no violent conduct and no clear and obvious error to correct.
- Two weeks earlier, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez was sent off for a hair pull on Calvert‑Lewin after a VAR review, then lost an appeal on April 24 and began a three‑match ban for violent conduct.
- The FA panel that upheld Martínez’s suspension wrote that hair‑pulling “ought not to be tolerated” and should face consistent punishment, a stance critics say clashes with Sunday’s no‑card decision.
- Former referees, including ex‑PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, urged Howard Webb to use the incident in review sessions to set a clear line for such calls, as Leeds were knocked out 1‑0 by Chelsea.