Shearer and Lineker agree on contentious Matt Cash incident in West Ham United v Aston Villa
Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker were in agreement that West Ham were fortunate to be awarded in a penalty in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday (17 August).
The Hammers began their Premier League campaign in disappointing fashion at the London Stadium as Irons-linked forward Jhon Duran swept home a 79th-minute winner at the London Stadium.
Lucas Paqueta had earlier cancelled out Amadou Onana’s fourth-minute opener from the penalty spot after Matty Cash was judged to have fouled Tomas Soucek.
Shearer, speaking on BBC Match of the Day (17 August), said he wasn’t convinced but was happy enough with the thought process behind the decision.
“Well he feels there’s enough in it for a penalty, I mean I’m gonna err on the find of I didn’t think it was a penalty,” Shearer said.
Lineker interjected by saying “neither did I” before Shearer continued: “It’s one of those where, once he’s given it, it was never going to get overturned and likewise if he hadn’t have given it they were never going to send him to the (monitor).
“So you’re right we’re going to hear the referee’s call. Cash actually gets a slight touch. Tony Harrington the referee, I’m actually okay with that, if they’re going to be consistent with it, as I said I didn’t really think it was a penalty, once he’s given it there’s not enough to turn it over.”
West Ham a work in progress after Aston VIlla defeat
The Hammers might have “won the transfer window” but, unfortunately, you don’t win trophies for the work you put into shaping a squad.
Big money has been spent on bringing the likes of Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luis Guilherme to East London but it is going to take time to fully integrate the new signings.
So, yes, yesterday was disappointing and at times pretty disjointed but there needs to be an element of patience about the process. The new signings need time to bed in, Julen Lopetegui needs more time to full implement his ideas, and the players need time to feel each other out.
In terms of the penalty incident, it was really a case of “seen them given”. Cash probably does get a touch on it but there was contact with Soucek too, certainly there have been worse decisions given (especially against the Hammers!).
Given the money forked out on new signings there is a lot of expectation around the London Stadium right now but patience has to be a virtue right now.
In other West Ham news, one player dropped a howler as we rated the players against Villa.
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