Joey Barton deserves his ban, Cesc Fabregas and Clint Dempsey should have seen red like Michael Essien

Updated: 19:32 EDT, 12 November 2010

This week’s extravaganza of Premier League matches has thrown up three major flashpoints, with some difficult challenges for the referees involved. Here’s how I see it:

1 Joey Barton has been complaining that players with a bad boy reputation don’t get what they deserve. After his dreadful, sneaky punch to Blackburn Rovers Morten Gamst Pedersen’s midriff I am pleased the FA have given him exactly what he deserves — a three-game ban.

Because referee Mike Jones did not see the incident, there was nothing to prevent our reluctant guardians of the game from acting, in contrast to happened with Tom Huddlestone’s great escape earlier in the week.

No one can have failed to be impressed with Barton’s form and demeanour for Newcastle so far this season. Despite his confession, after his violent attack on Pedersen, leopards and spots come to mind.

No question: Barton deserves his punishment

2 Cesc Fabregas is a highly-gifted footballer who knows what he is doing on a football pitch.

To suggest that his challenge on Wolves’ Stephen Ward was accidental is crass and an insult to those watching football. And yet that is what Arsene Wenger attempted to do after the game, saying: ‘I think it was accidental, that’s what Cesc told me.’

At least Wenger did not fall back on his ‘I did not see it’ mantra.

He was calm and charming but I wonder how he would have reacted had Karl Henry made a similar challenge on one of his players.

Fabregas flew in and caught Ward just below the knee with a dangerous challenge that endangered the safety of his opponent. There can be no question that he should have been sent off by referee Mark Halsey, whose yellow card will prevent the FA taking further action.

I am not suggesting that Fabregas intended to hurt Ward but I am sure he meant to make that challenge, he didn’t trip and fall into it.

Did you see that? Fabregas flies in to tackle Ward

As the highly-gifted individual that he is, he must know the ramifications of flying into a tackle across the front of an opponent who is trying to clear the ball upfield.

It would have been no surprise had Ward suffered a serious injury — the type Fabregas has seen and been horrified by.

Wenger revealed that Fabregas went into the Wolves dressing room to apologise to Ward for the tackle which, while commendable, does nothing to detract from the offence. I wonder how welcome the Spaniard would have been had he broken Ward’s leg.

Arsenal continue to bemoan the treatment they are receiving at the hands of their opponents and yet they have the worst disciplinary record in the Barclays Premier League (see table below).

It could be that they have decided referees are not affording them the protection they desire and so are taking matters into their own hands.

That is a very dangerous game to play.

3 There was a fascinating battle between Michael Essien and Clint Dempsey at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea man was cautioned for a high, late tackle on Fulham’s American striker early in the second half. Dempsey himself was then extremely fortunate not to see red after a clearly deliberate elbow on Jose Bosingwa.

Replays showed him glancing over his shoulder to see where the defender was before throwing his elbow back into Bosingwa’s face.

Maybe it was this which got Essien wound up enough to seek retribution, maybe not.

School of hard knocks: The Dempsey elbow (above) and Essien's tackle (below)

But something made the Chelsea man commit a very poor, two-footed jump tackle which has no place in the game, whatever the era. I accept that Essien dropped his legs short of landing fully on Dempsey, which probably saved a really serious injury.

Martin Atkinson had no option but to show red and for Carlo Ancelotti to query the decision was disappointing.

But not as disappointing as Alan Hansen’s steadfast refusal to accept the challenge as a sending off on Match of the Day.