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<\/p>\nMike Dean was accused of "sticking up" for his mates after defending a controversial refereeing call on Soccer Saturday.<\/p>\n
The former Premier League official took flack from Kris Boyd, who was watching Brentford's clash with Luton, after the ex-Rangers striker criticised Anthony Taylor for failing to award the Bees a penalty after the ball struck Luton's Teden Mengi on the arm in the box.<\/p>\n
Boyd said Mengi got "lucky", but Dean, who provides insight on refereeing calls, argued: "I think when you see it [hits his] elbow and knee at the same time, so they've just played on because it's not deliberate." Unwilling to let Dean off the hook, Boyd hit back, saying: "Is Anthony Taylor your mate? You're sticking up for him."<\/p>\n
READ MORE: New Soccer Saturday host makes brilliant Mike Dean quip after VAR debate<\/b><\/p>\n
READ MORE: 'Pathetic' Mike Dean admits not correcting Anthony Taylor mistake 'because he's a mate'<\/b><\/p>\n
The jibe was referencing Dean's baffling decision not to ask Taylor to review an incident involving Cristian Romero pulling Marc Cucurella's hair moments before Tottenham scored a last minute equaliser against Chelsea in August 2022.<\/p>\n
Dean was on VAR duty that day, and later admitted he didn't want to send Taylor to the pitch-side monitor because he was "a mate" and he didn't want to give him "more grief" after such a feisty game – which ended with an infamous handshake skirmish between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte.<\/p>\n
What do you make of Mike Dean as an analyst? Let us know in the comments section below.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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Dean's admission caused a major stir, with fans demanding to know why he felt the need to bend the rules to protect his colleague. The 55-year-old, who hung up his whistle last year, claimed his comments were "blown out of context", though many felt they served as evidence of poor refereeing standards in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Taylor's contentious decision not to award Brentford a penalty didn't matter in the end as Thomas Frank's side ran out 3-1 winners. Neal Maupay opened the scoring just after half time and Ben Mee doubled the hosts' lead seven minutes later.<\/p>\n
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Jacob Brown pulled one back for Luton with a quarter-of-an-hour to go, but Shandon Baptiste restored Brentford's two-goal cushion moments later. The win moves Brentford above Chelsea into the top half of the table, while Luton are now just two points above the drop zone in 17th.<\/p>\n