Controversial Penalty Denial Leaves West Ham Frustrated: Analysts Criticize Referee Decisions in 2-2 Draw with Sheffield United

TNT Sports analysts Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand were left astounded and critical of the match officials’ decisions as West Ham United were denied a last-minute penalty in their 2-2 draw against Sheffield United. The thrilling encounter at Bramall Lane saw Oli McBurnie score a late equalizing penalty for Sheffield United, while West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen found himself on the wrong end of a contentious call.

As the game approached its conclusion, Bowen was involved in a tussle with Sheffield United defender Anel Ahmedhodzic, leading to a handball decision against the West Ham forward. The decision sparked outrage among the West Ham players and coaching staff, with replays suggesting that Bowen had been impeded and not the other way around. Cole and Ferdinand, both having represented West Ham during their playing careers, passionately argued that the decision should have gone in favor of the visitors.

“Absolutely [it was a] penalty,” remarked Joe Cole, emphasizing the importance of defenders maintaining composure, especially in the dying moments of a match. He pointed out Ahmedhodzic’s actions, stating, “[Ahmedhodzic] realizes at that moment, and then the panic kicks in. He puts his arms on [Bowen]; he’s not looking at the ball. I can’t see how they’ve not looked at that. That’s a rugby tackle.”

Rio Ferdinand echoed Cole’s sentiments, expressing disbelief at the decision. “[Ahmedhodzic] is not looking at the ball; he’s not even looking at Bowen. His back is to play, and we can see his number with the ball coming from the opposite side. I don’t know how they haven’t looked at that and gone, ‘that’s a stonewall penalty’. If they called that [a penalty], this place would have erupted.”

In the post-match interview with TNT Sports, West Ham manager David Moyes chose to tread carefully around the controversial penalty incident due to potential fines for discussing officiating matters. Moyes acknowledged the frustration, stating, “I can’t really talk about it, but I’ll try and answer [the] question. The answer would be yes [there were two decisions that went against West Ham] to both of them.”

Despite the disappointment, West Ham remains in the sixth position in the Premier League. The draw at Bramall Lane, however, left Moyes dissatisfied with the team’s first-half performance. “Our first half was not good, I didn’t enjoy it at all,” Moyes expressed. “I thought it was one of our worst performances of the season, as far as quality on the ball and in decisions.” The dropped points hindered West Ham’s pursuit of a European place, emphasizing the impact of contentious refereeing decisions on crucial matches.