Keith Hackett ‘amazed’ as Nottingham Forest denied penalty vs West Ham
Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga should have been awarded a penalty in his side’s win over West Ham, Keith Hackett has said.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that Max Kilman should have been penalised for grabbing the 23-year-old’s shirt inside the penalty area.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took the lead early in that match, when Morgan Gibbs-White capitalised on an error from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
There was then a celebration that saw Forest show their support for striker Taiwo Awoniyi following his serious injury the previous week.
Moments before that though, Nuno‘s man should have had the chance to go ahead regardless, only to see their claims for a penalty dismissed.
Max Kilman gets away with Anthony Elanga shirt pull
As the visitors went in search of an opener in that game at the London Stadium on Sunday (18 May), Elanga had made his way into the West Ham penalty area.
The ball was then played into his feet by Chris Wood, only for the Sweden international to go to ground under a challenge from Kilman.
| Nottingham Forest last five games | Result |
| Manchester City (N) | Lost 2-0 |
| Brentford (H) | Lost 2-0 |
| Crystal Palace (A) | Drew 1-1 |
| Leicester (H) | Drew 2-2 |
| West Ham (A) | Won 2-1 |
As he got to his feet, Elanga saw his appeals for a penalty ignored by referee Sam Barrott, with VAR also choosing to get involved to award a penalty to Forest.
Hackett though, believes that the Champions League hopefuls should indeed have been given a penalty as a result of that incident.
West Ham man fortunate as Nottingham Forest miss out on early penalty
After being asked by Football Insider if Nottingham Forest could have been given a penalty for that pull on the shirt by the West Ham defender, Hackett said:
“That’s a penalty, he’s held him, he’s pulled him back. I’m amazed. I’m amazed one that the referee’s not seen it, ok he’s not seen it.
“There’s quite a lot of ‘I’m not going to see offences in the penalty area, because my mate at Stockley Park’s going to tell me’.
“I’m amazed. This is a clear and obvious error and I think that the VAR should have intervened and I think Forest have every right to be aggrieved. That’s a holding offence.
“They talk about ‘sustained’. I think it’s sufficient for the player to go to ground, penalty kick.”