Danny Mills admitted he was “gobsmacked” that Konstantinos Mavropanos avoided conceding a penalty for his challenge on Callum Wilson during West Ham’s 2-0 win over Newcastle on Monday.
The Greek defender clumsily tangled with Wilson in the box as the Hammers held a two-goal advantage in the clash at St James’ Park on 25 November.
Mills, a former England defender, expressed disbelief at the decision, likening Mavropanos’ actions to a move from professional wrestling.
Speaking on talkSPORT (25 November, 9:30 pm), Mills said:
“It’s a piggyback, it’s WWE. How can it not be a penalty? I don’t understand what the referee is seeing in that incident.”
After VAR reviewed the incident and awarded a goal kick, Mills added:
“Oh my goodness. I’m gobsmacked.”
The Hammers secured victory thanks to goals from Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but the decision not to penalise Mavropanos sparked widespread debate.
West Ham fortunate to beat Newcastle
Monday’s match at St James’ Park was an unusual affair, with Newcastle dominating large portions of the game but failing to make their pressure count.
West Ham, by contrast, were clinical. Soucek opened the scoring with a first-half header before Wan-Bissaka’s composed finish in the second half sealed the points for the visitors.
Despite the win, the performance from Julen Lopetegui’s side left plenty of room for improvement.
The Hammers struggled at times to adapt to Newcastle’s high-energy game, and the hosts frequently sliced through their defence, only to be let down by poor finishing.
For Lopetegui, the result offers much-needed breathing room. Reports suggested the Spaniard’s job was under threat if his side failed to secure a positive result.
However, with Arsenal visiting the London Stadium next, West Ham will need to deliver a far more assured performance to repeat this success against Mikel Arteta’s in-form team.
