Former England internationals Danny Murphy and Alan Shearer have slammed the decision not to give Chelsea a late penalty during their 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Saturday.
The Blues were denied a penalty in the 89th minute of the game at the London Stadium when Conor Gallagher’s shot was blocked by the hand of Tomas Soucek.
After the game, Chelsea boss Graham Potter described Soucek’s block as “a good save,” with Hammers boss David Moyes saying he had not seen it by the time he got to his post-match press conference.
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Former Liverpool midfielder Murphy, whose playing career saw him make 417 Premier League appearances for the Reds, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, felt the decision not to give a penalty was “unfathomable” and that there was no need for Soucek to have dived to the floor to block Gallagher’s shot.
“This was unfathomable really,” Murphy told BBC’s Match of the Day . “We’ve seen it over and over, VAR have the opportunity to see what we see.
“He falls over to deliberately try and stop it and he saves it with his hand, he doesn’t need to be on the floor. He should be standing there trying to block it with his legs. He falls down so his hands are towards the ball.”
Murphy was asked by host and former England striker Gary Lineker whether Soucek deserved some leniency for landing near the ball.
The ex-midfielder disagreed with that suggestion and criticised the VAR official Neil Swarbrick, the current head of VAR, for not spotting it and suggesting a penalty should have been given.
“But it’s also normal if you’ve fallen or pushed,” Murphy replied. “It’s so blatant, it’s a lack of understanding. Neil Swarbrick, who is the head of VAR, was on VAR. That’s the worrying thing and I’m sorry, you have to name the people who are making these mistakes. “He is in charge, that is a concern. It’s a lack of understanding, a real lack of understanding in football.”
Shearer, former England and Newcastle United striker, agreed with Murphy’s strong views on the decision, adding: “It’s a shocking decision, a shocking decision.”
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