“I can’t believe they…” – King stunned by recent developments regarding Tottenham’s contracts.
Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), has now indicated that David Coote’s decision to award West Ham United a penalty late in their 2-1 victory over Manchester United was a mistake.
This penalty not only had repercussions on the Red Devils’ league standing, contributing to their worst start to a season since 1986/87, but it also marked a critical turning point in Erik ten Hag’s management at Old Trafford.
In the wake of West Ham’s win over Ten Hag’s side, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team made the anticipated decision to part ways with the Dutchman, appointing Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim as his successor.
The penalty decision stemmed from an incident involving Matthijs de Ligt, who was deemed by referee David Coote and the VAR team to have fouled West Ham’s Danny Ings in the box.
Initially, Coote did not award the foul, but he was called over to the pitch-side monitor by Michael Oliver to review the play.
After a lengthy two-minute delay, Coote reversed his original ruling and pointed to the spot, allowing Jarrod Bowen to convert the penalty, which handed Manchester United their fourth defeat of the Premier League season.
According to a report from The Times, Webb has expressed the view that Oliver erred in suggesting Coote review the replay, implying that West Ham’s appeals were not compelling enough to warrant such a decision.
Webb, who officiated in the Premier League from 2003 to 2014, is expected to clarify this situation in his upcoming appearance on “Mic’d Up,” a program dedicated to analyzing controversial officiating decisions.
While the show’s running order has not yet been finalized, it is anticipated to include a discussion of this contentious call.
Additionally, the Key Match Incidents panel, an independent group of Premier League experts tasked with reviewing significant officiating decisions, is reported to have also deemed Coote’s penalty decision incorrect, further highlighting the fallout from this pivotal match.
