Richard Keys slammed VAR after West Ham United were awarded a penalty in the first half of their match against Manchester United.
The commentator was surprised that the referees did not award the visitors a direct hit on Sunday (4 January) after Casemiro was spotted holding Edson Alvarez in the area.
The Red Devils won 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League, with goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.
“I can’t post moving pictures so this one will have to suffice,” Keys posted on X. “How come this didn’t make the pen? Casemiro caught Alvarez by the scruff of the neck. What is VAR for if not to see things like this? It prevents him from getting the ball.”
West Ham unlucky?
Keys apparently thinks that West Ham were extremely unlucky not to receive a penalty in the first half of the Old Trafford encounter.
And that may have been how Alvarez, his team-mates and manager David Moyes felt after the decision went against them.
Players certainly take a lot of chances when it comes to keeping opponents in the box from set-pieces, but referees seem to have different views on this, awarding penalties in some cases and not awarding them in others.
An early penalty for the away side could have resulted in a different outcome at Old Trafford, but the hosts will not be thinking about this event.
They weathered a few storms from the Kladivars in different parts of the game, but turned on the style when it mattered, taking an important three points and overtaking their rivals in the standings.