Hackett Exclusive: Leicester wrongly escape in penalty incident vs Brentford
Leicester City were lucky not to concede a penalty early on in their 4-0 thrashing by Brentford, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that Woyo Coulibaly’s challenge on Kevin Schade should have been punished by referee Tony Harrington.
It was another dismal display by the Foxes at the King Power Stadium on Friday night (21 February) that saw the threat of relegation grow even more.
That prompted a number of Leicester City fans to pile even more pressure on manager Ruud van Nistelrooy amid those struggles.
However, things could have been even worse for the hosts after they survived a penalty scare before Brentford had even taken the lead.
Woyo Coulibaly brings down Kevin Schade as Leicester City struggles continue
Prior to Thomas Frank‘s side going in front in the game, they were denied the chance to do so from the spot.
With the match still in its infancy, Schade broke into the Leicester penalty area down the left-hand side with the ball at his feet.
However, before he could play a pass or get a shot away, the Brentford winger went to ground under pressure from Coulibaly behind him.
Although the visitors appealed for a penalty, those claims were ignored by the referee, with VAR choosing not to recommend an on-field review.
Hackett though has questioned why that stance was taken given how things played out on the pitch.
‘Brentford should have had early penalty at Leicester City’ – Keith Hackett
Speaking to Football Insider about those early claims for a penalty against Leicester, the former referee said:
“There’s contact. When you look at it common sense says to you that really that player (Schade) with a chance to have a shot on goal, he’s not going to go down.
“I know the difficulties that referees face with regards to simulation. It’s a level of contact here, two players, defenders converge on the forward.
“I think there’s a brush on that forward, I think that’s a penalty. It might seem soft but that’s a penalty kick.”
Leicester will again look to give themselves hope of avoiding an immediate relegation back to the Championship when they travel to West Ham on Thursday (27 February).
Brentford meanwhile are set to host Everton the day before as they continue their pursuit of a place in the top-half, progress which striker Yoane Wissa jokingly suggested has “shocked” manager Thomas Frank.