Lucy Ward expressed disbelief at the events leading up to Mohammed Kudus’ goal for West Ham against Newcastle, calling it “absolutely ridiculous”.
Despite being ahead 3-1, the Hammers ended up losing 4-3 to the Magpies at St James’ Park, with late goals from Harvey Barnes turning the match around.
Kudus had scored a fantastic goal just before half-time after a quick free-kick while Fabian Schar was still on the ground holding his face. Newcastle was furious that the goal stood, claiming it was a head injury.
Both commentators, Darren Fletcher and Ward, were stunned by the situation, describing it as bizarre and absurd. Fletcher insisted that the game should have been stopped due to a head injury.
Although there was much controversy surrounding the incident, West Ham did nothing wrong. Schar was only holding his face after a slight contact from Kudus, and the referee allowed the goal to stand.
It is essential in football to play to the whistle, which is exactly what West Ham did. Constant complaints about players exploiting head injuries to gain an advantage have already slowed down the game, so it was refreshing to see the referee make the right call in this situation.
