Sky Sports pundits disagree with West Ham United penalty v Fulham
West Ham United had to rely on a penalty to level the scores at home to Fulham but two Sky Sports pundits don’t think it was a foul.
At a Hammers corner, Craig Dawson was twice manhandled by Andreas Pereira with the referee warning the Brazilian twice before he then did it again to concede the spot kick.
Jarrod Bowen tucked it away by Sue Smith and Stephen Warnock thought it was the Irons defender who initiated the contact on Ref Watch.
“We actually don’t think it is (a penalty),” Smith said [Sky Sports News, 10 October, 11:50am]. “I think Pereira’s put himself in a position in terms of he’s been warned so he has to be careful.
“But I actually think the first contact is by Dawson on Pereira. The second phase looks like Pereira but he’s actually on his way down because the initial contact is by Dawson.”
“You can be physical in the box,” Warnock continued. “We’re talking about physicality and pulling shirts, things like that.
“You can bump chests that’s being physical and the way you go about it but it is Dawson who drags Pereira out of the way and down.
“I don’t think it was a penalty and I was really surprised when it was given.”
Rugby
Pereira must have forgotten which stadia in London he was playing at because the ultra-aggressive man-handling of Dawson suited Twickenham more than the London Stadium.
Warnock and Smith were both defenders in their playing days so they should know that you can’t wrap your arms around an attacker and haul him to the ground without it being a foul, regardless of where it is on the pitch.
They might be the only two people in the world who think that the referee made a mistake there and surely they are only doing this to try and spark a debate where there isn’t one.
Whether that penalty was given or not, West Ham had more than enough to beat a Fulham side that lacked any kind of cutting edge without Aleksandr Mitrovic leading the line.
There was more of an excuse for the other two goals to be ruled out with possible handbells in the build-up to both but it won’t have changed the way of the game regardless.