Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey agreed with the awarding of the winning penalty for West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Having already given a penalty for a foul by Willy Boly on Callum Robinson earlier in the game, Michael Oliver gave a second spot-kick to the visitors in the 56th minute with Robinson again going down, this time under the challenge of Conor Coady.
And whilst the West Brom man looked to go down rather easily, speaking exclusively to This Is Futbol, Halsey said that it was a pretty easy decision for the referee to give it despite the Wolves man’s protestations and that Robinson was within his right to go down.
He said: “He’s caught him twice. So as I’ve said before, you cannot go and make challenges, rash challenges like Connor Coady did in the penalty area if there’s any contact, listen, we can’t blame players going down. You can’t blame players for going down under contact… I think it’s a stonewall penalty.”
Do you think that Coady has improved?
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Both penalties you can certainly put down in the category of ‘clumsy’ mistakes to make given the situation and how the play was developing on both occasions.
Halsey’s words can act as something of a message to be sent to Wolves players about how they defend when they are in and around the penalty area. The team have already given away the joint-most penalties in the Premier League this season alongside Brighton & Hove Albion.
Decisions that are just part of the equation as to why they have fallen so far off the boil this season compared to their previous two campaigns in the top flight.