Michael Owen thinks West Ham should have been awarded a penalty during their 2-1 defeat to Brentford on Sunday, as he told Premier League Productions (03/10/21 at 3:00 pm).
In the first half, Antonio was seemingly hauled down by Christian Nørgaard following a cross, but nothing was given.
There was a lot going on when the ball was put into the box, but one thing that was obvious, is Antonio being taken out as he tried to get to the ball.
What would have hurt more is the fact that the Bees stung their London neighbours late on with a stoppage-time goal.
So, that call to not award the Hammers a penalty is even more controversial now.
But Owen thinks because Tomas Soucek was in and around Antonio, at the time of the foul, it meant that there was ‘a lot going on’ for the referee to deal with, which resulted in the spot-kick not being awarded.
“If Soucek isn’t there and it’s just a foul in isolation then I think he gets a penalty there,” said Owen. “I actually think it probably is a penalty.
“Soucek is right above it when he crosses it, there is a lot going on for the referee to take in.”
It was an off-day for a number of West Ham players, even though they would have thought they had taken something from the game when Jarrod Bowen equalised.
But it wasn’t meant to be for David Moyes’ men, who were feeling the struggles of their Europa League tie from midweek.
As for Brentford, they are looking like a proper Premier League outfit and a team that have been playing in the big time for decades, rather than just ten minutes.
Amazingly enough, going into the international break, they are the top dogs in London after seven league matches, which is some going.
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