Former Premier League referee confirms Southampton midfielder escaped a red card | OneFootball

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett explains how Southampton were lucky not to have Flynn Downes sent off after a wild foul against Nottingham Forest.

The Premier League is considered the best football league in European football. Apart from some of the best players and managers involved, what makes it stand special is it's on and off field drama.

One such incident took place in the recent Southampton Vs Nottingham Forest fixture.

Already 2-0 down within the first 30 minutes, there was frustration ripening among Southampton players. And then, Saints midfielder Flynn Downes elbowed and lunged Nottingham's Gibbs-White.

However, quite surprisingly, Downes wasn't straight away sent off, being shown just a yellow card.

Already pre-match, Nottingham Forest fans had shown anger after Anthony Taylor was named as the referee, and this incident was enough to make the media split into two halves.

Now, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has given his take on the controversial refereeing decision.

Writing in his Football Insider column, Hackett emphasized that Downes was lucky not to be sent off.

Former Premier League referee confirms Southampton midfielder escaped a red card

Over the whole situation, Hackett wrote, “When a player leaves the ground with either one or two feet, he is out of control. Therefore, he should have received a red card for a serious act of foul play."

Further, he criticised Anthony Taylor's decision, who has been in discussions for his poor judgments throughout the game.

Now, some would agree with Hackett, and some won't, leaving it as a debatable discussion further. But, one thing is for sure, midfielder Flynn Downes' actions haven't been credible, lately.

Downes was Southampton's worst player against Manchester United, and now this incident. Clearly, he has been a shadow of his usual best, recently.

While it may not seem very big of an issue to some fans, it might be difficult for the 26 years ahead.