'It should been a penalty' - Ex-refs chief fumes after re-analysing Coventry vs Fulham footage
Fulham should have been awarded a penalty in the first half of their win against Coventry after Brandon Thomas-Asante tugged Calvin Bassey's shirt.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that referee Adam Herczeg needed to be more decisive to punish the clear foul.
Fulham jumped ahead of Coventry and out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-0 win at the CBS Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Alvaro Arbeloa's side picked up their first away league win of the campaign courtesy of Oscar Bobb's fine 80th-minute strike.
They had earlier felt robbed of the opportunity to go ahead on the stroke of half-time after Bassey fell to the ground in the area under challenge from Thomas-Asante.
Replays showed that the Cottagers defender did have his shirt pulled, but neither Herczeg nor VAR official Jarred Gillett saw fit to award a penalty.
Keith Hackett angry with 'clear' penalty not given for Fulham versus Coventry
Bobb had just swung in a 46th-minute corner when Bassey exclaimed towards the referee as he was going to ground in the Coventry area.
Nothing was ultimately given, despite Thomas-Asante having a clear hold on his shirt for several seconds before letting go as the ball reached the box.
The holding rules were updated by the Premier League in 2024, with referees told to place extra focus on penalising sustained offences that have a clear impact on an opponent's ability to challenge for the ball.
Hackett is adamant that Fulham should have been given a penalty, as a result.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, he said: "This is a clear holding offence that impacts on his opponent. It should have seen the award of a penalty kick.
"We need to stop trying to find reasons for not pointing to the penalty mark and be more decisive. Penalise holding in whatever form. Holding in the laws of the game is penalised by a free kick or penalty kick."
Fulham and Coventry can expect relegation after supercomputer update
The three points could prove vital to Fulham, but Opta's supercomputer is still pessimistic about their survival chances this season.
Arbeloa's side are still being backed for relegation from the top flight in 18th spot, with a 30.34 per cent chance of going down compared to Hull's 27.3 per cent chance in 17th.
Coventry are expected to join them in the Championship next season, with a 42.66 per cent chance of the drop which lands them in an predicted 20th place just behind Sunderland.