Michael Oliver lambasted for missing tackle that endangered Eagles player’s life

Premier League referee Michael Olver has been fiercely criticised for needing VAR's intervention in Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round clash between Crystal Palace and Millwall involving Jean-Philippe Mateta.

In the eighth minute of the match at Selhurst Park, with the score still goalless, Palace striker Mateta found himself in a one-on-one situation with the Millwall goal; he had managed to outmanoeuvre Millwall defender Jake Cooper, creating a clear scoring opportunity.

Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, recognising the danger, rushed out of his penalty area in an attempt to intercept the ball, which was bouncing directly in front of the French forward.

However, in his attempt to clear the ball, Roberts’s outstretched left foot collided with the side of Mateta's face, resulting in a head injury for the Palace striker and a stoppage in play while he received medical attention.

The incident led to Long’s sending-off as the Eagles forward required oxygen on the pitch, with those events irking Palace chairman Steve Parish. 

“There’s a lot of emotion in football but we need to talk about that challenge, I’ve never seen a challenge like it in football,” said Parish. “The goalkeeper is 30 years old, and that is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I have ever seen.

“He needs to have a long hard look at himself, that lad, because he’s endangering a fellow professional, maybe even his life, with a challenge like that.

“It’s very difficult for me to talk about the rest of the game because we are worried about JP and it was just a terrible, terrible challenge.”

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Although Palace won the tie 3-1, Oliver did not escape the ire of surprised supporters who wondered how the top referee failed to spot the incident in normal time. 

Mateta has since posted on Instagram to allay fears and disclose that he is recovering well after Roberts’s challenge. 

Palace are next in action on March 8 against Ipswich, seeking their fourth victory in succession and third on the trot in the Premier League.