Crystal Palace 3-1 West Bromwich Albion: 5 Key Things We Learnt

5. Referees Aren't Improving

A massive talking point across the Premier League this season has been the performances of the referees - who have been very poor this campaign, or at least whose poor decisions seem to have been given more focus. Saturday's game was no different to how the rest of the season seems to have gone, as there were some very strange decisions from Chris Hoy, who elected to play advantage when Tom Ince was clattered on the halfway line, which made no sense at all. Somewhat typically, the main decision the official made had a big impact on the flow of the game. In the 69th minute Marouane Chamakh was brought down by Ben Foster and the referee pointed for a penalty, which Chamakh duly scored to put his side 3-1 up. But replays showed that Foster had made clear contact with the ball, while Foy's decision not to give Foster a yellow card was very strange, given that the offence apparently warranted a penalty. Pepe Mel agreed as he called the decision laughable. West Brom had just come narrowly close to an equaliser and were really pushing their opponents, but the penalty all but stopped them dead in their tracks. Like their new manager, the Baggies will feel extremely aggrieved.