Keith Hackett concurs that the controversial second penalty awarded to Newcastle United in their win over West Ham was not justified.
Referee Rob Jones pointed to the spot after Kalvin Phillips fouled Anthony Gordon in an attempt to clear the ball. Despite Jones only awarding the penalty after VAR interference, Alexander Isak converted to bring Newcastle within one goal of West Ham.
When asked about the decision, Hackett agreed wholeheartedly that Newcastle should not have been given the penalty.
The penalty was a turning point in the game, as West Ham were leading 3-1 with only a few minutes left. However, with the help of the controversial penalty decision, Newcastle managed to equalize and secure an unexpected win.
The incident itself showed Phillips accidentally catching Gordon’s boot while trying to clear the ball. Although Gordon took too long on the ball, the penalty decision seemed overly harsh.
Even Jones, who had a close view of the incident, did not believe it warranted a penalty.
This serves as yet another example of VAR excessively interfering in matches, ultimately leading to a costly result for West Ham.
