Manchester United can’t get going in the Premier League again after they failed to follow up the win vs Brentford at West Ham but the penalty incident will invite the most scrutiny.
Just when it looked like the game was headed for a draw, Matthijs de Ligt’s collision with Danny Ings in the box prompted the VAR to call on-field referee David Coote.
After what seemed like an eternity, it was deemed a “clear and obvious” error and West Ham were handed the chance to walk away with three points which they duly took.
Erik ten Hag was incensed at the decision after the game, while the VAR’s explanation of the penalty decision was iffy at best.
That is the neutral perspective and United perspective, but what did West Ham United fans think of the decision? United in Focus spoke to some and gathered their reactions to the incident that is sure to dominate coverage this week.
West Ham lucky to escape with three points
United created enough chances in the first half to go out of sight and kill the game but anyone who has watched the team this season knows they waste chances like no other.
That’s what happened here too and therefore, a combination of profligacy and dubious referee calls consigned them to another defeat.
It leaves United 14th in the league table and a season that started with hopes of Champions League qualification is genuinely teetering on the brink of relegation as things stand currently.
Julen Lopetegui made some changes at half-time to bring his team back into the game but nobody could have predicted that a referee call would make all the difference in the end.
United fans were incensed, the manager was delirious, and the decision was hammered in all corners of the footballing world.
West Ham, though, used it to score a winner and actually leapfrog United in the standings, a remarkable feat considering Lopetegui was already under pressure and came into this game with his side 16th in the table.
West Ham fans on the penalty incident
United in Focus asked some West Ham fans about the incident and they agreed on a major point despite giving a ‘brutally honest’ verdict.
Damien Lucas, West Ham fan and journalist at Hammers News said they got the ‘rub of the green’ but it’s only valid since his team have been at the rough end of these decisions many times, especially against United.
He said: “I sit right in front of where it happened and a few of us shouted when Ings went down but it was more in desperation than anything else.
“That’s as much to do with the fact we as a club feel we’ve been very hard done by when it comes to VAR since its introduction in the game. In fact we were top of a table of teams most negatively impacted by VAR interventions last season so there’s some substance to that.
“As I’m sure most fans would say in these circumstances, though, we will definitely take it as we’ve had plenty against us. Being brutally honest, though, it feels like we got the rub of the green on that one.
“West Ham have had some woeful decisions against us when we’ve played Man United home and away in the not-too-distant past – including the FA Cup game which denied us a place in the semi-final and the infamous Pogba ball three yards out of play goal.
“So we’ll take this one all day long.”
Antony Martin, a fellow Hammers fan, echoed a similar sentiment: “I think it was a really soft penalty and would have been angry had it been given against us. However, we’ve had some terrible decisions be given against us in the past, especially against Man United!
“It was the decision we needed at just the right time. The win might be enough to keep Lopetegui in the job and ironically, do the opposite for Ten Hag.”
West Ham fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, also agreed as one said tongue-in-cheek: “Always loved VAR, never said a bad word about it!”
Another accepted the reality of the situation: “That was not a pen! But I am not complaining!”. Another said: “How we’ve got that I don’t know!”
Neither does the rest of the footballing world but West Ham fans are gladly taking the ‘karma’ win if decisions have gone against them previously.
That’s no consolation for Ten Hag!
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