From the stands, it looked like Mark Noble might have been unlucky to pick up a second yellow card for his challenge on Barclay. That Baines stepped up to score his second free kick was one thing, but as Allardyce said after the game "He (the ref) has to be certain because it's a sending off. If Noble had not been booked before than Baines might still score but it's 2-2 with eleven men." Yes, the ref has to be certain, and like so many decisions in matches the ref could not be 100% sure Noble had not got a touch on the ball, but once he has given the foul, the yellow card was inevitable. However, replays showed that Noble did not touch the ball, although Allardyce's laptop showed him otherwise. "It's easy for me to say that Noble has played the ball but he did because I've seen it on the laptop." And this goes to show that video technology, challenges, review systems, will simply not work in football because what is black and white for one person is multicolour for another. Even with the benefit of replays managers, players and officials still disagree, and to think technology will solve all problems is naive. Goal line technology will work because it is not open to interpretation it is either a goal or it is not a goal (although I'll happily bet anyone that, eventually, a manager will question whether the system actually works) but the rest of the game, even other line decisions like offsides or whether a foul is in or outside the box are so debatable that video technology only solidifies opposing opinions, it does not settle the argument.
