WATCHING two separate incidents on BBC’s Match of the Day last Saturday, reminded me of the comment some fans often make: “Why are goalkeepers treated differently to other players?”

If you did not see the programme, here is a brief description of the two incidents.

The first was in the Everton v Southampton match. A long, high-bouncing ball was played well into the Everton half, chased by Southampton striker, Danny Ings.

Everton’s England goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, rushed out of his penalty area and cleared the ball with a high flying kick.

With his follow-through, however, his boot caught Ings in the middle of his back, knocking him heavily to the ground.

Where his boot made contact was obvious afterwards, as the back of Ings’s shirt was split wide open.

With Ings lying on the ground, play continued until the ball next went out of play.

Compare this with Pickford’s fellow England player, Jamie Vardy, in Leicester’s match against Wolves.

Under pressure from a Wolves defender, he lost control of the ball as it ran a few yards away from him. He followed it and stretched out his foot, playing it perfectly to a team mate on the wing.

However, another opponent came in from a different direction to try and play the ball and his leg was caught by the follow through of Vardy’s boot. His reward, a red card.

In neither of these instances was there any suggestion of aggressiveness or intent, nor does there have to be.

The law says a reckless challenge is when a player acts with disregard to the danger, or consequences to an opponent and is a yellow card offence. A red card is when a player exceeds the necessary use of force or endangers the safety of an opponent.

I hope when Premier League referees at the next fortnightly meeting, view these two incidents, they ask themselves, which of the two players was more likely to endanger the opponent, as well as the question, should goalkeepers be treated differently than other players?