Pablo Felipe’s foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya cost West Ham a valuable point last weekend.
The 22-year-old grabbed Raya’s arm as he jumped to catch the cross that ultimately led to Callum Wilson’s equaliser.
After reviewing the incident on the pitchside screen, referee Chris Kavanagh disallowed the goal in another setback for Pablo.
However, ex-West Ham forward Carlton Cole refused to pile on the 22-year-old despite his costly error against Arsenal.
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Carlton Cole defends Pablo Felipe after West Ham disallowed goal
West Ham supporters have been critical of Pablo Felipe since he joined from Portuguese club Gil Vicente in January for £22 million.
He has not scored a goal in 15 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions, missing several big chances.
Pablo’s foul on Raya was another disappointing moment in his short West Ham career, with many blaming him for the defeat.
Cole has now explained why he disagrees with Hammers fans criticising the striker after the disallowed goal.
“The people around me were having a little go at Pablo. The poor lad,” Cole said on The Dressing Room podcast. “But when I looked at it, they’re going, ‘Why is Pablo even doing that?’
“So I was looking at it like, he’s being pushed into him. So he has to have his arms up to balance. You know what I mean?
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“I don’t think, and I know when you analyse it, how they have not seen that he’s being hugged into Raya’s position? So he’s been pushed in there.
“So obviously, the natural thing is, you’re gonna put your arms up, and then it just happens to be that Raya is underneath his arm.
“It could have been anyone there, but because it’s the goalkeeper, it makes it sensitive.”
Cole raises a fair point; perhaps Pablo did not intentionally impede Raya, as lifting his arms was a natural movement.
However, the striker’s intentions are not really relevant to the decision. If anything, it was even more clumsy that he was not aware of his surroundings.
Unfortunately, Pablo has proven not to be good enough for the Premier League and should probably fall behind Wilson in the pecking order.
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