---
title: "Oscar was lucky to avoid serious injury"
canonical: "https://readchelsea.com/2015/12/29/oscar-lucky-avoid-serious-injury/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Ste Hoare"
section: "Chelsea News"
published: "2015-12-29T14:50:59Z"
modified: "2015-12-29T14:50:59Z"
---

# Oscar was lucky to avoid serious injury

Former Premier League referee Graham Poll says that Martin Atkinson was wrong to only give Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney a yellow card for his challenge on Oscar during Monday’s 0-0 draw on Monday.

Poll, [writing in his Daily Mail column](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3376769/Wayne-Rooney-seen-red-nasty-tackle-Oscar-Martin-Atkinson-s-performance-weak-inconsistent.html), did not hold back with his criticism of Atkinson, implying that the official was weak.

> Martin Atkinson’s performance at Old Trafford summed up all that is wrong with refereeing at present; weakness, acceptance of dissent and trying not to upset anyone. There was a really nasty high tackle by Wayne Rooney on Oscar in the dying minutes, with the Brazilian lucky to escape serious injury. Atkinson saw it but decided to show a yellow card when red was required. No wonder the Leeds-based referee has not awarded a penalty or red card in the Premier League all season.

Poll also pointed to more incidents of poor officiating from Atkinson and said that the referee failed to protect Eden Hazard from a clear plan of United’s to cynically foul the Belgian on regular occasions.

![Alex Livesey/Getty Images Sport](https://cdn.readeverything.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/502712370.jpg)

> Chelsea didn’t play well in the first half but they weren’t allowed to and one of their main men, Eden Hazard, didn’t play well because he was systematically and cynically taken out of play. The first 25 minutes were quiet for Atkinson who missed his first opportunity to establish control when he decided not to caution Ashley Young for deliberately pulling Hazard back when beaten.

> Ander Herrera committed a poor, cynical foul on Hazard (again), Morgan Schneiderlin another poor tackle on Willian and then Chris Smalling flattened Hazard which it appeared that Atkinson was not going to caution until his assistant, Child, advised him to.

> There was still time for Daley Blind to join the systematic fouling of Belgian. The half ended with Herrera getting away with another cynical foul without a yellow card. Unsurprisingly Hazard finally got frustrated in the 71st minute and ran through Young and Atkinson didn’t hesitate to caution the Belgian star who shook his head in understandable consternation.

It’s hard to believe that these two sides, who met in the 2008 Champions League final, now sit in 6th and 14th position in the Premier League table, but that is the case after the stalemate at Old Trafford.

The outcome could possibly have been different if Atkinson had officiated to a higher level, but a draw was a fair result in the end.