Mike Dean reacts to Niclas Füllkrug incident in West Ham draw v Southampton
Mike Dean had his say on an incident involving Niclas Füllkrug as West Ham drew 1-1 with Southampton at the London Stadium.
Graham Potter’s side conceded a late equaliser as they failed to beat an already-relegated Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday (19 April).
Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring, with Lesley Ugochukwu scoring the equaliser for the visitors in stoppage time of a match which wasn’t short of talking points.
Mike Dean had his say after one moment of refereeing controversy in the first half at the London Stadium, and the 56-year-old was on hand once again to provide his thoughts after an incident involving Füllkrug in the second half.
Füllkrug has goal ruled out for West Ham v Southampton
After recently returning from a lengthy injury layoff, Füllkrug made his first start for West Ham since January against the Saints and provided the assist for Bowen’s strike.
However, the 32-year-old would likely have felt frustrated when leaving the pitch at full-time after thinking he had got on the scoresheet himself.
| West Ham | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Niclas Füllkrug | 14 | 3 | 1 |
Füllkrug thought he had doubled the West Ham lead after putting the ball in the back of the net midway through the second half, but saw his goal ruled out by referee Andrew Kitchen for a foul on Aaron Ramsdale.
And while the striker might have felt aggrieved, Dean thought it was the correct decision.
Speaking live on Sky Sports News (19 April, 4:24 pm), the former referee said, “Yeah, correct decision.
“Good on-field decision by (Andrew) Kitchen. His (Füllkrug) arm is just up; he pulls the keeper’s arm down, and the keeper can’t get the ball. Clear foul, and it was given on field as well, which is good.”
Potters needs more from his players at West Ham
This Southampton side are statistically one of the worst teams in Premier League history. Therefore, it is embarrassing that West Ham failed to beat the South Coast club at home.
The home support at the London Stadium likely would have been expecting a lot more than a frustrating draw.
Therefore, it is clear that Potter still has a lot of work to do at West Ham, with a huge summer ahead of what needs to be better next season, or he will pay the price.