Derby County vs Swansea City ref watch: Three decisions Andrew Kitchen got wrong
Andrew Kitchen was the man in the middle as Derby County welcomed Swansea City to Pride Park on Saturday.
The Rams have been on an unexpected charge for Premier League football, sitting two points outside the play-offs spots before facing the team 15th in the Championship on 14 February.
Eustace’s side had only narrowly lost to Ipswich Town in their most recent league game, having previously thrashed Bristol City 5-0 before that, despite early predictions of relegation in the East Midlands.
Swansea, on the other hand, have endured a very mixed campaign so far, but with three wins in their last five games, Derby had a very tricky game on their hands, one that Kitchen had to take charge of.
Ben Cabango gets away with early foul on Agyemang
Patrick Agyemang caused the Swans plenty of issues in the opening stages of the game, being fouled twice in nine minutes, earning Derby free-kicks in dangerous areas.
While the Rams could not quite take advantage of these positions, it was a moment that should have seen Ben Cabango go straight into the referee’s notebook.
The experienced Welshman knew exactly what he was doing, bringing Agyemang down right outside the penalty area, but he avoided an early caution at Pride Park.
Ethan Galbraith escapes punishment for simulation
As the makeshift full-back attempted to escape through the middle of the pitch in the first half, Ethan Galbraith threw himself to the floor in an attempt to win a free-kick.
There is absolutely no doubt that it was a lazy sliding tackle by the Derby player, but having made no contact with him, Kitchen waved away any calls for a free-kick.
In that case, the referee should have dished out a yellow card for a blatant act of simulation, but instead, he allowed play to continue.
- Read more: Swansea City want to sign Kyogo Furuhashi.
Andrew Kitchen was far too whistle-happy at Pride Park
While the Rams will be more than happy with the result, the majority of fans inside Pride Park were incredibly frustrated by the referee’s knack for pulling play up.
It made for quite a slow game at times, and Premier League fans will not be wanting Kitchen in the first division again anytime soon.
Referees have gotten a lot of criticism this season, and very few were happy with Kitchen this weekend.