Gary Neville has revealed his immediate thoughts on Manchester United’s penalty shot which was ultimately denied. Brian Mbeumo went down in the box during the second half of Thursday night’s game against West Ham, but Jean-Clair Todibo was not penalized by referee Andrew Kitchen.
Neville, a footballer turned pundit, said on Sky Sports commentary: “Referee, he came quite close. It looks like Todibo just stuck his foot out, but did he make contact?”
“He just stuck his foot out there and pulled it back. Mbeumo fell down. He just pulled that foot out there and pinched it and thought.”
It was a big decision from the match officials as the game was winding down at Old Trafford and it looked like United were going to take the lead. Diogo Dalot’s deft touch put the ball into the back of the net, giving the home side the lead just before time expired.
The referee was in the spotlight for this match, with Kitchen taking charge of a match between Manchester United and West Ham for the first time in his career. It was his fifth stint in the Premier League, after previously serving as a referee in the EFL.
Some big decisions fell on the referee, including having to decipher Mbeumo’s penalty call. In the end, it looks like he made the right decision, as Todibo stepped back and away from the challenge, making no real contact with the United forward.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka returned to his old club and made a controversial decision towards the end of the match when he challenged while receiving a yellow card. The defender appeared to take Patrick Dorg out from behind, whacking him in the leg in the process.
Although he was given a foul, he was not given a second yellow card, which the commentary team called lucky. In the end, it meant little as both teams ended up splitting the spoils.
Ruben Amorim’s side continued to have chances in this match, playing in some promising positions, but were unable to convert them into goals. The inability to find the back of the goal paid off as West Ham got a stab at the back in the final 10 minutes.
A corner kick at the near post was flicked towards goal, but Nousser Mazraoui cleared the ball over the line. The clearance only found its way to Sungoutu Magassa, who used the rebound to slot the ball into the back of the goal.
United pressed on for an eventual winner but fell just short, with Amorim looking frustrated on the touchline as his side once again showed a lack of intensity. West Ham remain in the bottom three, sitting eighth in the Premier League with 22 points after 14 games, but it is yet another missed opportunity for a side who have picked up a valuable point towards survival.
