West Ham’s Penalty Claim Dropped by Premier League Despite VAR Review
West Ham United’s hopes of cutting the deficit against Chelsea took a blow when they were denied a penalty in Saturday’s early kick-off match. The Hammers struggled to find their footing early on, conceding two goals in the opening 18 minutes of the game. However, it seemed like they had a glimmer of hope when a potential penalty was waved off by referee Samuel Barrott.
The incident occurred in the 28th minute when Wesley Fofana appeared to drag Crysencio Summerville back inside the penalty area. Contact was initiated outside the box, but Fofana’s hold appeared to continue as Summerville hit the deck. Despite the clear appeal from the West Ham players and coaching staff, Barrott waved play on, and his decision was upheld by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The Premier League quickly moved to clear up the confusion, taking to Twitter to explain their decision. “The referee’s call of no penalty for the challenge by Fofana on Summerville is checked and confirmed by VAR β deeming that this was not sustained holding,” the tweet read.
The decision will have left West Ham fans scratching their heads, feeling like they were denied a golden opportunity to get back into the game. Despite this setback, the Hammers will need to regroup and focus on their task at hand if they want to turn the match around.
