Hackett: ‘Theatrical’ Ramsey rightly denied Aston Villa penalty v Crystal Palace
Aston Villa attacker Jacob Ramsey wanted a penalty by VAR during his side’s defeat to Crystal Palace but was correctly denied, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that the 23-year-old went down too easily under a challenge from Daniel Munoz inside the opposition penalty area.
Crystal Palace took advantage of a below-par Aston Villa performance at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night (25 February) to claim a 4-1 win that damages Unai Emery’s side’s pursuit of a Champions League place.
There were however some moments where the visitors where left to feel hard done by over decisions made by the officials during the game.
Aston Villa frustrated by VAR calls in defeat at Selhurst Park
During the first half, Emery’s side saw an equaliser from Morgan Rogers chalked off after Ollie Watkins was ruled offside in the build-up to the shock of many.
That disallowed goal for Aston Villa even led to Hackett calling for the offside law to be changed to favour attacking teams.
Another incident came in the second half, when Ramsey went to ground inside the Crystal Palace penalty area.
| Aston Villa last five games | Result |
| Tottenham (H) | Won 2-1 |
| Ipswich Town (H) | Drew 1-1 |
| Liverpool (H) | Drew 2-2 |
| Chelsea (H) | Won 2-1 |
| Crystal Palace (A) | Lost 4-1 |
Referee Sam Barrott elected not to award a penalty kick, and although replays suggested there may have been some contact on the Aston Villa man by Munoz, VAR chose not to recommend an on-field review.
Now Hackett has suggested that the officials got things right all round when it came to this particular penalty claim.
Keith Hackett assesses Jacob Ramsey penalty appeal
Speaking to Football Insider about whether VAR should have intervened after Ramsey went to ground inside the area, the former referee said:
“Sadly referees are faced with players who are going to ground adding theatricals as they are going down.
“It’s on the increase and VAR was correct to not recommend a review. The referee judged it well.”
Aston Villa are next in action on Friday night (28 February) when they host Championship side Cardiff City in the fifth round of the FA Cup, reuniting them with a former player in Anwar El Ghazi.
Crystal Palace are also in action against second-tier opposition in the cup at the weekend, as they take on Millwall at Selhurst Park on Saturday (1 March).