Exclusive: Liam Delap dive should have been punished in Ipswich v Nottingham Forest
Keith Hackett has praised the actions of referee Tony Harrington but also wanted to see Ipswich Town star Liam Delap cautioned.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that Delap deserved a yellow card for “an attempt to deceive the referee”, in a penalty shootout loss to Nottingham Forest on Monday (3 March).
Both sides went into their FA Cup fifth round tie knowing that the winner will face Brighton in the quarter-final.
Despite a George Hirst opener in the 53rd minute, the Tractor Boys were forced into extra-time by a Ryan Yates leveller in the 68th minute.
Following a tense half-hour period of extra-time, the match remained goalless, allowing Forest to win the tie on penalties.
Ipswich striker Liam Delap lucky not to be cautioned
Prior to the shootout, Chelsea transfer target Delap thought he had won his side a penalty in the 110th minute.
The former Man City striker took off on a trademark lung-busting run from the halfway line, and cut inside two Forest defenders on the edge of the box, only to be brought down by Chelsea transfer target Murillo.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Delap |
| Appearances | 26 |
| Starts | 25 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 9 |
| Minutes | 2,030 |
Despite the striker rolling on the ground theatrically, Harrington waved play on, uninterested in the incident.
Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, ex-PGMOL chief Hackett gave his verdict, saying:
“I thought this was well judged by the referee, who was in a good position to see how the attacking player, seeing an opponents leg, manufactured contact.
“[It was] an attempt to deceive the referee.
“Referee [Tony] Harrington should have stopped play and cautioned (yellow carded) the player for an act of simulation, attempting to deceive the referee.”
Ipswich punished for lack of cutting-edge threats
For the second time in two matches, the Tractor Boys have failed to make their opponents pay for ceding control of the match.
Against Man United, Ipswich were gifted a goal following a mix-up between Patrick Dorgu and Andre Onana.
Dorgu was then sent-off for a horror tackle, but despite being a man up, the Tractor Boys still lost 3-2 to their struggling opponents.
In their FA Cup tie with Forest, Ipswich once again took the lead, and once again were unable to capitalise on their winning position, eventually losing on penalties after Matz Sels saved Jack Taylor’s effort.
Whilst the loss will now allow the Suffolk based side to focus on Premier League survival, the match against Forest will be looked back on as a missed opportunity.