Source: PA
Hughes has sympathy with Pulis
Mark Hughes believes big teams such as Chelsea tend to get the benefit of the big decisions from referees.
The Fulham boss sends his side out at Stamford Bridge tonight hoping referee Martin Atkinson is not influenced by the big-match atmosphere.
Atkinson came under fire from Stoke manager Tony Pulis for his handling of Stoke's 2-0 defeat at Sunderland at the weekend when he failed to give a penalty when Lee Cattermole clearly handled the ball on the goal-line. It led to Pulis saying the worst referees should be relegated from the Premier League.
Hughes would not go that far, but he said: "Do big clubs get the benefit of decisions? As a player at Manchester United I would have said absolutely not. But as a manager going up against the so-called Big Four clubs, I have a different view, possibly.
"There's a natural tendency, it's human nature. Sometimes the consequences of giving a decision against a big side are too much for some referees to take. It's difficult for them.
"There's no way I'm questioning the integrity because it's split-second decisions and it's human nature sometimes that you take the easy option."
