Sky Sports pundit agrees with non-penalty call as Burnley v West Ham causes controversy
Sue Smith was adamant referee Samuel Barrott made the correct decision as the home side asked for a penalty during the first half of Burnley vs West Ham.
An incident on 40 minutes saw Luca Koleosho ask for a penalty, claiming to be brought down by Vladimir Coufal in West Ham’s penalty area.
VAR were quick to rewatch the possible foul and advised Barrott to take a look at the monitor. However, the referee stood firm on his decision and no penalty was awarded.
On Saturday (25 November, 3:40pm), Smith said live on Sky Sports News, “I don’t think it is. Straight away, the referee says no.
“There is slight contact, but he [Koleosho] is already going down before. I think they will stick with the on-field decision. It’s 50/50 because of the contact.”
The decision caused controversy in the Sky Sports studio. “I think penalty, Tim [Sherwood] says no,” Michael Dawson added.
It was coming
Luca Koleosho caused havoc down West Ham’s right-hand side during the first 45 minutes, finally winning a penalty in the first minute of the second half.
Following his performance in the first half, it seemed like only a matter of time until the winger would cause damage to the Hammers. And that is exactly what happened.
A lazy Mohamed Kudus challenge took the 19-year-old down in the box, allowing Jay Rodriguez to step up and dispatch the penalty to put Burnley ahead.
However, it had been coming, with the home side seemingly on top for most of the game. The Hammers were clearly missing the attacking outlet in Jarrod Bowen, and that is understandable. But it is nowhere near good enough to depend on a single player against the team at the foot of the Premier League table.
In other West Ham news, one talkSPORT pundit gave his Moyes verdict live on air.