Daily Mirror John Cross has just now delivered his verdict on a controversial West Ham United incident.
West Ham beat Manchester United 2-1 in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Sunday, and it was a result that saw Erik ten Hag lose his job.
At the same time, the victory greatly alleviated the pressure on the shoulders of Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers head coach was under huge pressure before the game, with it being claimed that he was in danger of losing his job.
The 2-1 win kept the wolves away from the door for another week at least, and the second-half performance from the players gave the fans some real encouragement and optimism.
There are some fans who said that we were lucky to win the game, and on the balance of play, they’re probably right.
However, I don’t feel sorry for Man United one little bit – we’ve had plenty of bad calls go against us during clashes with them in the past…
John Cross sticks his nose in West Ham’s business
Daily Mirror journalist John Cross has seemingly made it his mission to get answers from PGMOL regarding the penalty decision in the dying minutes of the game at Old Trafford.
Danny Ings was brought down inside the box by Matthijs de Ligt, but David Coote didn’t blow up for the foul.
However, lead VAR official Michael Oliver didn’t like what he saw, and recommended an on-field review.
The penalty was given in the end – one that Jarrod Bowen duly dispatched.
However, John Cross has really kicked up a stink in the aftermath of the game.
Yes John, it was an incredibly soft penalty to give, and VAR should not have even got involved from the start as it wasn’t a clear and obvious error.
However, we have had some truly awful decisions given against us during clashes with Man United over the years.
Remember when we were 1-0 up against them at the London Stadium in 2020 when Dean Henderson kicked the ball at least two yards out of play only for the linesman to keep his flag down, before Paul Pogba equalised?
They went on to win 3-1 that day.
Then what about when Victor Lindelof clearly handled the ball inside the box from a Said Benrahma cross in 2023? No penalty was given unsurprisingly.
There are countless other times where they have been given decisions in their favour up at Old Trafford against us.
Anthony Martial’s late equaliser in the FA Cup quarter-final clash in 2016 is one that stands out to me. The goal never should have stood, and then they beat us in the replay at Upton Park to reach the semi-finals.
So yes, the decision was possibly the wrong one, as John Cross suggested, but it was about time West Ham were given one in our favour.
