Chelsea vs Spurs: Why I didn’t tell Anthony Taylor to check VAR monitor – Ex-referee Mike Dean

Former Premier League referee, Mike Dean has admitted he failed to correct an on-pitch error because he did not want to cause his close friend, Anthony Taylor “grief”.

The incident happened during Chelsea’s clash against Tottenham at the start of last season.

The game at Stamford Bridge ended 2-2 following a late Spurs equaliser from Harry Kane.

But just before Kane struck, the Blues felt they should have been awarded a penalty after Cristian Romero pulled Marc Cucurella’s hair inside the area.

“I missed the stupid hair pull at Chelsea versus Tottenham which was pathetic from my point of view,” Dean told Up Front with Simon Jordan.

“It’s one of them where if I had my time again, what would I do? I’d send Anthony [Taylor] to the screen.

“I think I knew if I did send him to the screen … he’s cautioned both managers, he’s had a hell of a game, it’s been such a tough game end to end. I said to Anthony afterwards: ‘I just didn’t want to send you to the screen after what has gone on in the game’.

“I didn’t want to send him up because he is a mate as well as a referee and I think I didn’t want to send him up because I didn’t want any more grief than he already had.

“Anthony, he is big and bald and ugly enough to know if he is going to the screen, he is going to the screen for a reason. If someone pulls their hair now, it’s dead easy. It’s just a brainwave by me, a really bad call by me, and it kind of affected me as VAR going forward.”