Southampton climbed into the top six of the Championship for the first time since the opening weeks of the campaign with a very hard-fought win against in-form Norwich City, no thanks to referee Lewis Smith.
Fans on social media had no hesitation in calling into question Smith's performance on Wednesday night.
In the first twenty minutes alone, Paris Maghoma, Anis BenSlimane, and Jack Stacey could each have seen red for two bookable offences. Smith is not averse to dishing out yellow cards. So far this season, he has shown the yellow card 80 times (5th in the Championship referees' rankings), averaging 3.81 yellows per game.
The match referee on the night has been hesitant to blow his whistle this season, with a low average of 19.19 fouls per game (35th). In 21 matches, Smith has failed to award a single penalty or send a player off.
Slimane's first challenge, bringing down Samuel Edozie in full-flight, was an obvious booking. Instead, Smith gave just a free-kick and didn't even speak to the player.
Maghoma left a foot in twice and should have seen red, while Jack Stacey, who was eventually booked, made no attempt to play the ball as Edozie went past him on two separate occasions.
Saints fans were right to ask questions
With the standard of refereeing in the Championship a cause for concern, it is safe to say that Southampton fans were right to ask questions about Lewis Smith after the match.
Not only could the referee have cost Southampton all three points, but he could also have contributed to a serious injury to any one of several Southampton players.
The EFL and the PGMOL must take another look at Lewis Smith's performance on Wednesday night, in particular his reluctance to issue cards early in the match.
Players at the Championship level need no invitation to push the boundaries when it comes to indiscipline on the field of play. Norwich clearly came to play with an intensity that would make Southampton uncomfortable. Being aggressive in challenges and closing down quickly go hand in glove with that approach.
What the home side failed to do in the opening exchanges was match Norwich's intensity and aggression. That's on them, for sure. But receiving no protection from the referee at all was simply unacceptable.
Peretz may have saved more than the referee's reputation
If it hadn't been for an outstanding performance from Daniel Peretz in the Saints' goal, the visitors would almost certainly have come away from St Mary's with at least a point and probably all three.
The referee allowed Southampton to be tripped and bullied without any consequences until he finally booked both Norwich full-backs after half an hour of basically assaulting Sam Edozie and Kuryu Matsuki, among others.
It is fair to say that the poor standard of refereeing in the Championship has worked in the Saints' favour too. On Saturday, at Coventry City, Kuryu Matsuki was lucky not to receive a straight red for a naughty challenge that he made, and Finn Azaz could have been in trouble for an overzealous challenge that he made in the same match.
Where the officials found seven minutes of additional time at the end of the match was another mystery, on an evening characterised by garbage refereeing and outstanding goalkeeping. Ultimately, the rest was very forgettable.