While it did not end up making an impact on the result, West Ham United were denied what many thought was a clear penalty against Fulham.
That could be crucial come the end of the campaign. Indeed, the relegation battle could well come down to goal difference – which is currently keeping West Ham in the bottom three.
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Though no one quite knows how things would have played out had the Hammers been awarded a spot-kick following the Alex Iwobi incident in the first half, the stakes are so high right now that every decision is crucial.
Still, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg believes it was the right call.
Mark Clattenburg says referee right not to give West Ham a penalty vs Fulham
Refereeing expert Mike Dean thought West Ham should have been given a penalty after Jarrod Bowen’s corner appeared to strike Iwobi on the arm in the first half.
Speaking exclusively to Hammers News, however, Clattenburg had a different view.
He said: “Alex Iwobi of Fulham clears a West Ham corner with his shoulder and the referee and VAR decide it is no handball.
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“The law is clear now and if the ball hits the shoulder then it is no handball and for it to be a handball when the arm is in an unnatural position, the ball must hit the arm below the bottom of the armpit. In this case, the referee and VAR are following the law correctly but I can understand people’s frustrations on the law itself.”
Though Clattenburg could understand the frustration among supporters, he did stress that referee Matt Donohue and VAR John Brooks had applied the law correctly, because the ball did not strike Iwobi below the armpit.
Thankfully from a West Ham perspective, it didn’t end up having a huge impact on the result.
A tight game would be sealed by Crysencio Summerville’s latest goal, with the Dutchman pouncing upon a defensive mistake from Issa Diop and Bernd Leno to earn his side a crucial three points. They are now level on points with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table.
West Ham’s win over Fulham could have a huge say in the relegation battle.
With it so tight, however, literally every goal matters, so decisions such as this one could have a material impact on who stays in the division come May.
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