If I remember correctly the shirt pull you are referring to was Illing Jr and he wasn't on a yellow card yet at that timeI've got no issue with a ref being pedantic as long as he's going to be pedantic about everything Pego.
Which includes sending players off for second yellows for shirt pulling to stop a player running away from them which, as a ref you will know, is always a mandatory yellow card.
But picking and choosing when to be pedantic? Nah, not for me.
It absolutely should have been a yellow, but its also unlikely he would have lunged in later on and got booked later on
The ref did miss their full back shoving an elbow into Ronald's face while already booked though after he flicked on a ball and went to run past him