Dermot Gallagher: 'Referee couldn't have seen Troy Deeney incident'

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has said that official Michael Oliver could not have seen Troy Deeney's full involvement in an incident with Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen.

During the closing stages of the Premier League clash at Vicarage Road, Deeney appeared to gouge the cheek of Allen during an exchange between the pair, as well as pushing Ryan Shawcross to the floor.

The Hornets forward was only handed a yellow card, but Gallagher has suggested that Oliver must have failed to see Deeney's more aggressive act towards Allen.

Gallagher told Sky Sports News: "I think the referee made the right decision based on what he saw because I cannot believe, looking at what happened, that the referee saw what Deeney did.

"I'm convinced - and I am only second guessing - that Michael yellow-carded Deeney for pushing Shawcross. I think the first situation was unseen."

Despite being cautioned, Deeney could still face retrospective action if Oliver states in his report that he was not aware of the 29-year-old's full involvement in a match which Stoke won by a 1-0 scoreline.