Ex-refs chief: ‘Lewis Smith made vital mistake before Freddie Potts red card’ in West Ham win vs Burton
Keith Hackett believes that referee Lewis Smith was wrong to pull out his yellow card before sending Freddie Potts off in West Ham’s FA Cup win at Burton Albion.
The former PGMOL chief and FIFA referee has exclusively told Football Insider that Potts was rightly sent off but Smith must learn from such an incident after he initially looked set to book the West Ham midfielder.
Potts’ late challenge on Burton attacker Julian Larsson in the 101st minute saw him receive his marching orders for the first time in his senior career so far.
He was subsequently sent off, but the Hammers’ players were confused after referee Smith first pulled out his yellow card before assessing the situation and the injured player.
West Ham were then able to stave off some late Albion pressure to win 1-0 at the Pirelli Stadium and progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Lewis Smith must ‘learn’ from yellow card mistake before Freddie Potts sending off
Crysencio Summerville’s 95th-minute strike gave West Ham the win against their League One opponents, but young midfielder Potts will now serve a suspension as they aim to climb out of the Premier League’s bottom three.
Speaking to Football Insider about Smith’s handling of the incident, Hackett said: “I do hope that the referee will learn from this incident.
“In these situations you want the referee to give himself some thinking time and to replay the incident in his own mind to confirm what he saw.
“Initially pulling out the yellow card impacted on the “selling of the decision”, even though, in fairness, it was not raised.
“The challenge was reckless and endangered the safety of the opponent and correctly received a red for Serious Foul Play.”
Which West Ham games could Potts now miss?
Depending on how severe his tackle is adjudged to have been, Potts could be forced to sit out of either one or three of the Hammers upcoming matches.
The latter seems the more likely, considering the force with which the 22-year-old challenged Larsson, meaning he is set to begin his three-match ban as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side take on Bournemouth next Saturday.
They will then likely be without him for respective trips to Liverpool on 28 February and Fulham on 4 March, as West Ham aim to move out of the relegation zone and towards safety.