Graeme Souness has said the decision to chalk off West Ham’s late equaliser against Chelsea was the correct one as Jarrod Bowen ‘endangered the goalkeeper’.
Summer signing Maxwel Cornet thought he’d snatched a late point at Stamford Bridge when Edouard Mendy spilled the ball, allowing the Ivory Coast star to collect it and smash home.
Mendy was rolling on the floor as Cornet guided the ball in, which attracted the interest of the referee who was then advised to look at his pitch-side monitor.
Andrew Madley then reversed his on-field call due to a collision between the goalkeeper and Bowen in the build up, infuriating Hammers boss David Moyes.
“It’s difficult to talk about the game when you see such a rascal bad goal against you,” he said. “It’s just unreal.
“If that is the elite level of refereeing then it’s probably people that have never done it.
“I could not believe it, the amount of times I’ve looked at it I could not believe the referee not being a penalty or not giving a goal it’s beyond belief and being sent to VAR was ridiculous.”
Replays seemed to show Bowen’s left leg hit Mendy, but Souness thinks it was a red herring, with his other foot a cause for review.
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The talkSPORT pundit said: “First of all he stumbled prior to going for the loose ball.
“When he gets to the goalkeeper, Mendy, his right foot is showing six studs to the goalkeeper, now that for me is endangering the goalkeeper.
“It’s not like ‘I’m trying to jump over him’ it’s a different kind of movement, action all together, I think he’s showing six studs to the keeper with his right leg.
“Jarrod Bowen has no history of looking to hurt people and I think maybe the reason that happens is because he has a stumble prior to him setting off before getting to the goalkeeper so I think the referee got it right.
“People will focus on his trailing leg catching Mendy and Mendy rolling over and holding his shoulder but I think it’s more to do with his right foot and showing six studs in the collision.”
West Ham boss Moyes wasn’t the only one aggrieved with the call though, with captain Declan Rice expressing his outrage on Twitter.
The England midfielder wrote: “That’s up there with one of the worst VAR decisions made since it’s come into the game. Shambles.
“Can’t believe the referee has even been asked to go take a look at the monitor! Cannot see how they’ve come to that decision.”
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