Fulham fans hit out at the Premier League following Saturday’s home defeat by Aston Villa questioning why their side were given such an inexperienced referee.
Lewis Smith, 30, became the youngest referee to take charge of a Premier League game since Michael Oliver in 2010. Less than a year ago, he was officiating in the National League.
Smith allowed the game to flow and was kept busy with three offside goals and an array of penalty claims but he was subjected to chants of, ‘You’re not fit to referee’, from the Fulham fans after blowing the whistle in the fifth of five minutes of stoppage time despite Villa making a substitution in that period.