The Premier League has come out to explain why Chelsea were controversially denied a late penalty in their 1-1 draw against West Ham United.
VAR made the first of a string of debatable decisions on Saturday at the London Stadium when Tomas Soucek’s apparent handball went unnoticed.
Joao Felix scored a 16th-minute opener in his second Chelsea appearance, ruled out by former Blues defender Emerson Palmeiri’s equaliser before half-time.
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Soucek thought he had won it for West Ham in the final 10 minutes, but VAR chalked off his goal for offside.
However, referee Craig Pawson opted against awarding a potentially match-winning penalty, and VAR didn’t oppose his decision.
It led to uproar from Chelsea fans in the stadium and online, feeling like they had been robbed of three vital points.
But the Premier League have responded to fury about the decision through the PGMOL – the officials’ group for all FA competitions.
According to the PGMOL, the ball struck that hand that ‘broke Soucek’s fall’ as he went to the ground, meaning the correct decision was for a penalty not to be awarded.
After full-time, Graham Potter jokingly hit back at Pawson and VAR for ignoring Soucek’s ‘save’.
You need your goalkeeper sometimes to give you the points.
