I attended the Arsenal vs. Stoke match today, and I must say Mason drew some attention to himself.
I don't have any footage (the incidents to which I refer will probably only appear on full match highlights), but both concern dropped balls.
For the first, he was restarting after a Stoke head injury. I cannot be certain why he pulled it back, but as soon as Oxlade-Chamberlain accelerated down the flank, Mason ordered a retake. My understanding was that any number of players can contest a dropped ball; however, perhaps the referee has to be aware of every player involved and you can't come out of nowhere, which is what happened here.
For the second instance, Sanchez appeared to jump unfairly. Mark Hughes' reaction suggested Mason hadn't blown for the foul, but he then asked for the ball and dropped it in front of a Stoke defender, who subsequently played on. Uncontested dropped ball or perhaps a belated award of the free kick? I wasn't any the wiser.
I don't have any footage (the incidents to which I refer will probably only appear on full match highlights), but both concern dropped balls.
For the first, he was restarting after a Stoke head injury. I cannot be certain why he pulled it back, but as soon as Oxlade-Chamberlain accelerated down the flank, Mason ordered a retake. My understanding was that any number of players can contest a dropped ball; however, perhaps the referee has to be aware of every player involved and you can't come out of nowhere, which is what happened here.
For the second instance, Sanchez appeared to jump unfairly. Mark Hughes' reaction suggested Mason hadn't blown for the foul, but he then asked for the ball and dropped it in front of a Stoke defender, who subsequently played on. Uncontested dropped ball or perhaps a belated award of the free kick? I wasn't any the wiser.
