Even the commentators talked about the pen shout, last season it would have been called. This year, however there is a new directive for the refs to look at the contact and decide if a player could have held his ground. Lingard in this instance probably should have made more of an effort to stay on his feet, probably would have earned a pen if he had cos I think the drag on the shirt would have effected any shot he was about to take. The fact that he has thrown his arms in the air and made a "drama" out of it has made the ref reconsider any contact that Noble has made.
maybe they are maybe they are not. The fact is the directives exist and I expect the players, coaches etc all knew about them before the season started.
They do, but I don't want to be a football fan in a world where Mark Noble grabbing Lingard like that isn't a penalty.
Never have I felt closer to the "Games gone" crowd.