Premier League

West Ham United: Referee mistake hands Hammers boost during European win

|
Image for West Ham United: Referee mistake hands Hammers boost during European win

West Ham United may well have been very fortunate in their most recent game as they were on the right side of a controversial refereeing decision. 

The Hammers took on Silkeborg IF in the Europa Conference League this week and required goals from Manuel Lanzini, Gianluca Scamacca and Craig Dawson to claim a tight 3-2 victory away from home.

However, not only did West Ham need a collection of goals to get all three points in the European clash, they also needed a little bit of luck when it came to the officiating.

Indeed, 30 minutes into the game with the scores even at 2-1, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola failed to claim a Silkeborg corner that was then headed into the back of the net.

Fortunately, the referee blew for a foul on the Hammer even though replays show that there was little wrongdoing from the opposition, with Areola entirely at fault for the disallowed goal.

1 of 15

West Ham United fans, who were these players sold to? Starting with Felipe Anderson

TIF thoughts on Alphonse Areola and West Ham…

Steve McManaman even stated that he believed it ‘should have been a goal’ live on BT Sport.

Upon reviewing the incident, it’s hard to argue Areola was impeded as he simply runs into a crowd of players with little hope of claiming the corner.

The referee didn’t see it that way though and with no VAR to be used in the competition until the semi-finals, his apparent mistake was not overturned.

However, you could also argue that it wasn’t even a corner in the first place, so errors on both parts from the officials.

In the end, that moment proved to be pivotal in the game with West Ham then going on to add a vital third goal of the match about eight minutes later on thanks to Dawson – who ironically scored from a corner. Had the goal rightly stood, the Hammers may well have dropped points on the night.

Was it a foul on Alphonse Areola?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Share this article