Ian Darke rages at ‘Ludicrous’ West Ham v Manchester United incident
Ian Darke labelled the decision to award West Ham a penalty in their 2-1 win over Manchester United “ludicrous” on 27 October.
The Hammers were awarded a penalty towards the end of the game after a coming together between Matthijs de Ligt and Danny Ings, with VAR intervening.
Jarrod Bowed subsequently slotted the ball in the back of the net to give the Irons all three points at the London Stadium, but commentator Darke made his feelings known about it on X [28 October].
“Absolutely ludicrous pen decision for West Ham winner against Manchester United,” he wrote.
“Plain daft.”
West Ham controversy v Manchester United
While the London Stadium faithful will have no complaints about the penalty, even the most ardent of supporters will concede the fact that it was soft.
De Ligt hardly touched Ings, and the ball also appears to hit the striker in the arms before he goes down.
The Hammers can count themselves lucky, but that won’t take away from the fact that Julen Lopetegui’s team were once again second-best for large periods.
Since taking over, the Spaniard has failed to make any progress despite heavy investment being made in the team in the recent transfer window.
The former Wolves head coach has some quality players at his disposal, but the 58-year-old has been unable to get the best out of them on the pitch, which was once again seen against the Red Devils.
Lopetegui has built a pedigree over the years as the Spanish national team manager and in the Sevilla dugout, but the things that set him apart in those jobs have not been seen in East London.
If this continues, it’s hard to imagine the 58-year-old being in charge of the Irons in the foreseeable future, despite the hierarchy currently backing him [Florian Plettenberg, 26 October].
In other West Ham news, this star was dubbed as “world-class” after what he did against Manchester United.
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