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Arsene Wenger was understandably frustrated when he addressed the media after seeing Arsenal lose 3-1, and the wider point he made about declining standards of refereeing was right.
As things stand, we will not have a single referee at the World Cup next year and that is symptomatic of an ageing group of referees and a drop in the overall level.
They have been getting too many important decisions wrong. There was the obvious mistake for the third goal at the Etihad that should have been ruled out for offside, but Wenger will also have been annoyed by a free-kick that Michael Oliver awarded prior to the penalty for the second goal.
He gave a foul to Manchester City in front of the technical area when no offence had been committed. On the penalty that followed, Wenger described Raheem Sterling as a player who "dives well" and, while he does go down easily, I think he had been fouled.
Yet if Oliver gives the penalty, I think it also has to be judged as denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Yes, there was a defender in close proximity but that had no impact on Sterling’s ability to shoot and Nacho Monreal should have been sent off.
The third goal was clearly offside and, on this decision, Oliver was relying on his assistant. It was a decision that assistant referees simply have to get right at this level.
The assistant’s job has rightly become a speciality in its own right. To an untrained eye, it might seem that they are difficult decisions to make but, for a trained eye, this was a fairly clear decision.
David Silva's foot and arm were in front of his opponent. It was also a critical decision at a critical time in the game.
Why do I think standards have dropped? The first point is that we have lost people like Howard Webb and Mark Clattenburg. They are difficult to replace.
We used to have a minimum of two referees operating internationally for Fifa and Uefa at the elite level, but that is down now to just Martin Atkinson - and he retires from the international panel in December.
I also think the existing select group of referees are not challenged enough, even when they are struggling to maintain form.
It is not that there is a shortage of referees but a road block. I would like to see more people who are doing well at the Select Group 2 level – like Andy Madley – being given a chance.
- Keith Hackett is a former referee and resident expert for You-Are-The-Ref.com
Arsene Wenger is right – standard of Premier League refereeing has declined