Former Premier League referee Graham Poll insists that Fulham should be heavily punished by the Football Association following the chaotic scenes that unfolded during the second half of their 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
After taking a deserved 50th-minute lead through striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham lost their heads with a little under 20 minutes of normal time left on the clock. After United winger Jadon Sancho had rounded goalkeeper Bernd Leno and saw a goal-bound effort blocked on the line by Willian's outstretched arm, referee Chris Kavanagh, following a VAR intervention, was left with no choice but to award the Reds a penalty and send Willian off.
The decision resulted in Mitrovic failing to control his emotions, shoving Kavanagh and getting up in his face to protest about the decision. He joined Willian in being sent off, as was boss Marco Silva for his protests on the touchline ahead of Willian being dismissed.
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Those 60 seconds of madness gave United the platform they needed to get back into the contest, flipping the game on its head thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes (2) and Marcel Sabitzer. However, Fulham's failure to keep their emotions in check was the dominant talking point after the game, and Poll, who officiated in the Premier League between 1993 and 2007, is adamant that they must be heavily punished by the governing body.
"Fulham should be charged and heavily sanctioned by the Football Association after disgraceful scenes at Old Trafford," Poll told bettingsites.co.uk. "Fulham were leading 1-0 at the time when everything got out of hand for them in the FA Cup quarter-final.
"All decisions were correct by Kavanagh which start with the Willian handball and subsequent red card, Marco Silva also deserved his marching orders and then Mitrovic likewise has no case to answer.
"Let's be clear - the decision taken by referee Kavanagh isn't a difficult one and is not in doubt. Jadon Sancho rounded Bernd Leno and shot towards the goal. Replays show clearly that Willian then deliberately handles the ball to prevent a goal.
"Although he protested that it hit his chest, it was clear and obvious that it did in fact touch his arm. Kavanagh had the luxury of checking that fact using VAR and so knows he is correct."
Although Willian and Silva joined Mitrovic in being dismissed, it was the latter's actions that dominated the headlines. He crossed the line when protesting the decision and Poll wants to see the FA do more to protect referees.
Poll continued: "Mitrovic completely loses his head and manhandles Kavanagh and continues to harass him after he is (again correctly) shown a red card. You can clearly see on the replays that Mitrovic gets in the face of referee Kavanagh, points his finger in his face and uses his right arm to manhandle the referee and therefore receive a red card.
"Scenes that we shouldn't see on a football field that brought back memories of Roy Keane and his fellow Man Utd teammates chasing Andy D'Urso and Paolo Di Canio pushing Paul Alcock. Now let's see how the FA support their referees."
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