Nuno may have prevented West Ham punishment with comments on Match of the Day – Exclusive
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo may just have prevented West Ham from being given a fine after comments he made regarding the referee in the draw against Brighton.
West Ham and Brighton shared a 2-2 draw on Tuesday, in a game that saw three penalties awarded, ensuring a very busy night at the office for referee Michael Salisbury.
Danny Welbeck missed his second penalty against West Ham, after Lucas Paqueta was deemed to have dragged Brighton’s Lewis Dunk to the ground following a corner in the 35th minute.
It’s a result that won’t do much to relieve the growing pressure on Nuno at the London Stadium, as West Ham sit 18th and four points adrift of Nottingham Forest.
Nuno Espirito Santo wants better clarity from officials
It was a fiery clash between West Ham and Brighton, with both sides looking to put a stop to their respective winless runs, before ultimately sharing the spoils.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day post-match, Nuno revealed his frustration with referees, with the Hammers boss feeling as though they need to do a better job at explaining what constitutes illegal contact in the box.
“It was confusing,” said Nuno. “I think, honestly, the referees must again speak with the players, and try to really explain to them which is contact, which is excessive, which can be foul.
“Because we see so many things, so many contacts in the box at set-pieces that it’s confusing. Sometimes they whistle, sometimes they ignore it. I think without seeing the images, it’s always strange when from a corner without any situation, you come to a penalty.”
- Read more: Nuno Espirito Santo faces ‘massive issue’ at West Ham after what Rob Green noticed vs Brighton
Nuno to sweet talk West Ham out of fine
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone in the immediate aftermath of the penalty drama on Tuesday evening, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett believed West Ham and Brighton would be fined for failing to control their players.
However, in the wake of Nuno’s comments, Hackett believes the Portuguese may have done enough to deflect attention away from West Ham’s players surrounding the official multiple times.
“Frankly when reviewing the penalty kick decisions, referee Michael Salisbury is brilliantly positioned on his first award, his signal is positive and you see him verbally explaining the reason for his award,” Hackett began.
- West Ham had 10 shots against Brighton, with four on target
- Brighton recorded 16 shots on the West Ham goal, with six on target
- It’s only the second time in PL history that three penalties have been awarded in the first half of a game
“The second penalty kick once again saw him brilliantly positioned to witness that grappling offence and great to see him rightly award a penalty kick.
“Here again his signal was positive and an explanation forthcoming. On the third penalty kick decision he was rightly sent to the monitor where after viewing the monitor his explanation was public to the fans.
“Frankly, in all three of his decisions, there was clarity of explanation. I wonder if [Nuno] was attempting to deflect the potential of his club being fined for failing to control their players on a number of confrontations between players.”
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