Ian Wright and Alan Shearer were left fuming at the refereeing controversy in the 2-2 draw between West Ham and Liverpool amid confusion following an apparent injury to Alphonse Areola.
The goalkeeper had collided with the post before going down, but referee Anthony Taylor waved play on, only to finally stop the game as Cody Gakpo looked like he would simply roll the ball home.
Wright labelled the decision a “massive howler” while Shearer insisted it was “very messy” amid confusion surrounding Taylor’s decision-making during the incident which left everybody confused.
Speaking on BBC Match Of The Day [27 April], Wright fumed: “I thought the referee had an absolute nightmare. He’s saying to play on then he stops and he actually tells the goalkeeper to get up and get on with it, says it a couple of times.
“Then he finally gets up, he says play, I think Gakpo should’ve just finished that. Now he’s blown the whistle, I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s happening. That’s a massive howler.”
Shearer then followed up: “It’s very messy. I think the referee has made an error by not blowing. If the goalkeeper collides with the post, that’s when the referee should’ve stopped the play. He hasn’t blown the whistle.”
Another refereeing “nightmare” in West Ham v Liverpool
This incident is just the latest in a long string of confusing refereeing decisions at the London Stadium and across the Premier League this season as a lack of consistency remains the biggest issue with the standard of officiating in England.
While this call may have benefited West Ham by preventing Liverpool from scoring via a simple tap-in and may have been the right one overall with Areola struggling, it’s the manner of the call that has raised questions and controversy.
As Shearer and Wright said, the incident was messy and confusing, with the referee seemingly making his decision before changing his mind when he realised the possible outcome of his call, causing further questions.
This comes in the wake of decisions like the one to disallow a late Wolves equaliser against the Hammers which drew plenty of criticism and the outcry surrounding a penalty awarded to Newcastle in the 4-3 clash at St James’ Park.
It has become abundantly clear this season that the officials need to be questioned on their poor decision-making at the highest level.
