LATEST NEWS: Why West Ham Were Denied a Penalty Against Chelsea Despite Evident Contact
West Ham found themselves at the center of a heated debate during their match against Chelsea when they were denied what many believed to be a clear penalty. The controversial moment occurred when Wesley Fofana appeared to make contact with West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville inside the penalty area. Despite this, the referee allowed play to continue, and even after a VAR review, the original decision stood, with no penalty awarded.
Chelsea entered the game with an aggressive approach, determined to shake off their recent difficulties at the London Stadium. Right from the start, they controlled the play, with Nicolas Jackson quickly breaking the deadlock. His goal left West Ham scrambling, struggling to find their footing. Jackson wasn’t done, as he soon doubled his tally, coolly finishing with the outside of his foot after being played through on goal, securing his brace and putting Chelsea firmly in command. However, West Ham felt they were hard done by, especially when manager Julen Lopetegui protested that his team should have been given a penalty due to the contact between Fofana and Summerville in the box.
The controversy surrounding the penalty claim was fueled by replays that appeared to show Fofana tugging Summerville, leading to his fall inside the box. West Ham’s fans immediately called for a spot kick, but the referee decided to let play continue. Following a VAR review, the decision was upheld, with officials citing the lack of “sustained holding” as the reason for not awarding the penalty. The Premier League’s VAR Match Centre later provided an explanation on social media, attempting to clarify the reasoning behind the decision. This new system, implemented for the 2024/25 season, is designed to offer greater transparency in officiating decisions, though in this case, it did little to ease the frustration of West Ham supporters, many of whom felt their team had been unjustly denied a crucial penalty.