West Ham earned an excellent draw against Chelsea, but it could have been more.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has told Sky Sports that he believes West Ham United deserved a penalty during their 1-1 draw against Chelsea.
Javier Hernandez came off the substitutes’ bench to equalise in the final 20 minutes, after defender Cesar Azpilicueta had put the Blues ahead in the first half from close range.
A string of excellent saves from man of the match Joe Hart kept the score at 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, as the England stopper denied the likes of Marcos Alonso, Olivier Giroud and Willian.
But Gallagher believes the Hammers should have been awarded a penalty for N’Golo Kante’s tackle on Marko Arnautovic, which at the time was waved away by referee Kevin Friend – a decision that infuriated West Ham fans.
“Penalty, but impossible for the referee to give from his position,” Gallagher said. “Toughest decision of the weekend for a referee. The argument is, does he [Kante] get the man first?
“I think he does get Arnautovic and then he plays the ball to the left. But because of where the ball travels, the referee is convinced that Kante has played that ball. Everything the referee sees tells him that Kante got that ball.”
The point comes as a crucial one for the Hammers as they stretch the gap between themselves and the bottom three to five points in 14th place, with six games still to play.
David Moyes will be busy preparing his side ahead of what is a crucial encounter in the bottom third of the Premier League table next Monday, as the Hammers play host to Stoke City at the London Stadium.
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