Premier League release statement after Tomas Soucek controversy in Newcastle vs West Ham
Premier League Match Centre has issued a statement surrounding the controversial decision to not award a Newcastle penalty against West Ham United.
The Hammers were looking to put the pressure on Tottenham ahead of their game against Chelsea but instead have done the complete opposite.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side started poorly against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, going 2-0 down after just 18 minutes of play.
However, things could have been made worse sooner, as the home side had a strong shout for a penalty involving Tomas Soucek in the 10th minute.
The penalty was not awarded, but the controversy has prompted the Premier League to issue an official statement on the incident in Newcastle versus West Ham.
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Why did Newcastle not get a penalty against West Ham?
It was a disastrous start for West Ham, but they could feel lucky not to have conceded a penalty after just 10 minutes of play.
A shot from Bruno Guimaraes struck the outstretched hand of Soucek, with the ball going behind for a corner.
| West Ham’s first half against Newcastle | Total |
| xG | 0.25 |
| Shots | 4 |
| Big chances | 1 |
A VAR check did get underway, but referee Jarred Gillett was not advised to check the monitor, and play instead continued on as normal.
However, the controversy has now forced the Premier League Match Centre to clarify the incident that took place.
The official X account for the Premier League match centre stated: “The referee’s call of no penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Souček’s arm was in a justifiable position while engaging in a challenge with an opponent.”
Alan Smith believes West Ham got away with one vs Newcastle
Alan Smith thinks that Newcastle should have been awarded the penalty in the 10th minute, although it did take him a couple of viewings to come to that conclusion.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Smith stated: “I’ll tell you what, he moves his hand towards the ball. He is so fortunate.”
However, on first watch, he did state he was “unsure” as to whether it should have been given.
In the end, it would not have too much impact, as the home side found the net shortly after in the 14th minute, with Nick Woltemade scoring from close range.
William Osula doubled the lead just four minutes later, and the Hammers have been left with it all to do to turn things around.
Nuno’s team selection will certainly come under fire after being forced into an early tactical change as well, with Jean-Clair Todibo making way for Taty Castellanos.