Kobbie Mainoo should’ve been punished for West Ham vs Man United incident – Keith Hackett
West Ham suffered late heartbreak against Manchester United on Tuesday evening, but the away side’s Kobbie Mainoo may have been lucky in one incident.
The Hammers were minutes away from securing a much-needed win, but Benjamin Sesko’s strike in added time would ultimately mean the spoils were shared.
Despite the disappointment, Harry Redknapp saw enough to believe West Ham will stay up.
The draw has also shifted West Ham’s chances of going down in the supercomputer, which is a positive to take away from the match.
However, a few may feel they were unlucky to not see Manchester United go down to ten men in Tuesday’s showdown.
Keith Hackett drops verdict on Kobbie Mainoo tackle
West Ham were on the end of a positive VAR decision when Casemiro thought he had equalised in the second half.
However, an intervention by VAR declared Casemiro’s finish was in fact offside. There was also another incident that many thought should have been reviewed as well.
In the 83rd minute, Mainoo’s late challenge on Mateus Fernandes saw his foot coming over the top and striking the West Ham midfielder.
On replay, it does not look great, and there have been some calls for a red card in this instance.
However, whether or not it should have been a sending off has been shared by former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told West Ham Zone his thoughts.
Hackett said: “This challenge is reckless and should have resulted in Kobbie Mainoo receiving a yellow card.
“Given the referee’s position, I am surprised that no action was taken. VAR cannot intervene on a yellow card to assist the decision-making process on this one.”
So, while it may not have been a red card, the Manchester United man was still lucky to get away without any booking.
Why Mateus Fernandes is becoming one of West Ham’s key players
While Fernandes may feel hard done by on that tackle, the midfielder should feel proud of his performance against Man United.
Defensively, the Portuguese midfielder was all over the pitch. He completed more tackles than any other player on the pitch, with a total of five.
Additionally, he made eight recoveries and misplaced just five passes, according to Sofascore. Over the last few weeks, his quality has been clear to see, and that could be key in the Irons staying up.
It is FA Cup action up next for the Hammers, and with the game being against League One opposition Burton, it could be best to rest Fernandes in this instance.
Nuno will need him fit for the remainder of the Premier League campaign to keep the chances of survival as high as possible.