Opta has investigated Bennett’s recent record when officiating the ‘Big Four’ and it certainly seems that he reserves harsher treatment for the northern members of that select group.
As the table below shows, over the past three seasons the Kent referee has sent off five Big Four players, four of them from Liverpool/Manchester United. As well as Mascherano last weekend, Bennett famously sent off Xabi Alonso in the final Arsenal v Liverpool clash at Highbury in 2006.
Again this was a dismissal with a lot of controversy as Alonso was widely acknowledged to have accidentally slipped into Mathieu Flamini rather than committed a foul. Bennett had his back to the incident but still showed a second yellow card to the incredulous Basque midfielder.
Like Mascherano, Alonso took some time and persuasion to leave the pitch but on that occasion the FA decided against extending his ban.
Bennett also has history with Manchester United, and Cristiano Ronaldo in particular. He has sent off the flying Portuguese winger twice, first in the 2005-06 Manchester derby at Eastlands for a lunge at Andy Cole and again in United’s game at Portsmouth earlier this season, when he attempted to head-butt Richard Hughes
Indeed, the only Big Four side not to have had a man dismissed by Bennett in the past three campaigns are Arsenal. Chelsea saw Ricardo Carvalho sent off in a 1-1 draw with Charlton in 2005-06 in what was the only home game Chelsea failed to win as they cruised to a second successive Premier League title.
is he the neighbourhood dictionary
