Dermot Gallagher: West Ham defender Dawson was rightly penalised v Southampton
West Ham lost 3-2 to Southampton at the London Stadium on Boxing Day, with the Hammers attempting to come back every time they went behind, but they could only do it twice.
A penalty in the second half after Craig Dawson brought down Armando Broja on the edge of the box ensured that the Saints went 2-1 up, and Dermot Gallagher has told Sky Sports Ref Watch that it was the correct call.
Referee Kevin Friend consulted the pitch-side monitor before awarding the spot-kick, with James Ward-Prowse making no mistake from the spot.
The former FIFA official said: “The VAR process on this decision was very good because the referee, if you see where he is positioned, he can’t see through the players or where the incident occurs.
“Dawson goes to clip him outside the box and it continues into the box. Because the foul continues into the penalty area, they can then give a penalty.
“I think the VAR [Craig Pawson] was really good because it identified all of that and fed it back to Kevin. He’s then seen it on the monitor and felt it was a penalty, which it was.”
No complaints
David Moyes claimed after the game that it looked as though the initial contact was outside the box, doubting whether VAR got it right, but replays showed a foul took place in the 18-yard box.
Dawson should have known better than commit in such a position, and Broja ensured that he got into the box before falling.
The West Ham centre-back got the basics wrong, and it is why being without both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma has been a massive blow for the London Stadium outfit.
The penalty changed the game, and while Said Benrahma helped draw them level minutes later, another lapse in defending from the Hammers saw the visitors take the lead for the third time.
West Ham could not bounce back this time around, though, suffering their fourth defeat in the last seven league games, and that further dealt a blow on their top-four aspirations.
They are now sixth in the table, and could drop to seventh if Manchester United secure a win against Newcastle United on Monday (27 December).
In other West Ham news, an amazing attacker is making personal arrangements for Hammers switch in January.
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