Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane backed West Ham player Michael Antonio after the dramatic 2-2 draw between the hosts and Arsenal at the London Stadium.
Amid a potentially pivotal day in the title race, Mikel Arteta's side led 2-0 through Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard before things unravelled. A Said Benrahma penalty before the break, followed by a second half Jarrod Bowen equaliser, left The Gunners four points clear of Manchester City but having played a game more, with a trip to the Etihad still to come on April 26.
But sandwiched in-between the West Ham goals came the critical moment, when Michael Antonio was adjudged to have handled the ball inside his own area. Bukayo Saka however, could only fire wide from 12 yards.
Despite being let off, Antonio expressed his discontent afterwards, with the ball seemingly kicked into his hand by Gabriel Martinelli: "With the pen, I think it’s so harsh," he argued to Sky Sports, "My arm is literally just sticking out, it’s as close to the ball as you can be and I don’t think there’s anything I can do to get my hand behind my back."
Keane, never one to mince his words, sided with the forward in his own post-match analysis: "This is the penalty decision and I agree with Antonio," he said, whilst mulling over replays. "I feel he was slightly unlucky, where is he supposed to put his arm?"
In a frantic few moments though, The Hammers had a let off before going down the other end and squaring matters. But the former Manchester United man also stuck up for Saka, who had found the target with every penalty taken for Arsenal since missing for England in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
"But listen, we’ve seen great players miss penalties and that happened again," he added. "Pressure? Yep, simple as that. He’s a quality player. We saw Salah last week not even hit the target, it affects players. Again, he’s a brilliant player, he’ll respond to that like he always does, but a huge moment in terms of it being a big point for West Ham but also in the title race."
Arteta also stuck up for Saka, who has scored 13 times for his side in the Premier League this season. He told reporters: "A player who takes penalties misses penalties, I don't know anyone who hasn't."
The draw was equally significant in terms of the relegation battle, with Moyes and co moving four points clear of the bottom three ahead of the Nottingham Forest v Manchester United clash. Both now face a critical weekend, with Arsenal hosting rock bottom Southampton on Friday while West Ham go to relegation rivals Bournemouth on Sunday.
