Credit: Imago

Jack Dawson

Sat 4 April 2026 14:22, UK

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Keith Hackett has insisted that Derby County should not have been awarded a penalty in their 3-2 defeat to Coventry on Good Friday.

Late in the Championship fixture, Ben Brereton Diaz appeared to have been taken out by goalkeeper Carl Rushworth when bursting in on goal, resulting in referee Tom Nield awarding a spot-kick.

However, replays showed that the goalkeeper actually got a touch on the ball and made a save.

Watching the footage back, Hackett has insisted that the officials made the wrong call, but believes that VAR should still remain out of the Championship.

Below, Football Insider has examined the incident which all cost Coventry three points in the promotion battle.

Keith Hackett: Premier League errors prove VAR shouldn’t be in Championship

The penalty against Coventry almost cost Frank Lampard’s side two points.

Coming in the 77^th-minute, if it wasn’t for a late Jack Rudoni goal, it could have proven to be a costly draw for the Midland side.

As a result, calls for VAR to be introduced into the Championship have gotten louder, with the incident being a clear error missed by the officials, which would have been cleared up if they had the benefit of looking at replays.

However, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, while Hackett agreed the decision to award a penalty was a poor one, he insisted that VAR should not be brought into the second-tier.

He said: “I watched the game live and was amazed that the referee, from what appeared to be an ideal viewing angle, awarded a penalty kick.

“The replays not afforded to referee Tom Nield showed the goalkeeper palming the ball away before the forward took evasive action.

This was given as a penalty, was it the correct decision? 🤔 #pusb #dcfc pic.twitter.com/N9T1gsNBPk

— Championship Terrace Talk (@ChampionshpTalk) April 3, 2026

“It was the wrong call and will increase the calls for the introduction of VAR in the Championship.

“However, I do not support that change given the large number of errors that VAR is producing in the Premier League.”

Do Derby still have a shot at promotion this season?

For Derby, the defeat has left them four points off the playoffs in eighth with six matches to go.

However, they could end up even further from the top six if Southampton win their game in hand.

As a result, Opta on 4 April believes that Derby have little chance of getting into the top six by the campaign’s end.

Their current chances are rated at eight per cent, with Southampton’s and Wrexham’s odds being significantly higher at 72.04 per cent and 42.34 per cent.