West Ham vs Sunderland ref watch: Three decisions Thomas Bramall got wrong
Thomas Bramall was back in the spotlight as West Ham thrashed a high-flying Sunderland side at the London Stadium.
James Ward-Prowse made a surprise return to the squad on Saturday, 24 January, but only watched on from the bench as the Hammers scored three goals for the first time since early November.
Sandwiched between goals from Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes, Jarrod Bowen continued his incredible form from the penalty spot, with the Black Cats absolutely stunned in East London.
Nuno Espirito Santo remains under huge pressure at the London Stadium, and he would have been sweating when Brian Brobbey got one back for the visitors, but his side held out for an important three points.
Thomas Bramall bottles red card for Reinildo
Reinildo was last sent off against Aston Villa back in September, and up against Jarrod Bowen at the London Stadium, he was ripped to shreds down the left flank.
Already on a yellow card for dragging the Hammers captain down, he was under the spotlight just before the half-time break, when the assistant referee waved his flag for a foul next to the touchline.
Bramall was given a choice to make. The obvious choice would have been a second booking for the Mozambique international, but the 32-year-old remained on the pitch.
Trai Hume escapes blatant first-half sanction
Nuno’s side were given the chance to double their lead from the penalty spot, with Bowen obliging in the 28th minute, but the referee was reluctant to punish the offender.
Trai Hume clearly brought down Ollie Scarles, rather cynically, inside the penalty area, clashing knees with the young defender. Still, he escaped punishment, like his teammate, before being hooked at half-time.
Taty Castellanos’ reputation precedes him
The summer signing picked up his third yellow card in as many matches, this time diving into a challenge on Dan Ballard, but replays showed there was minimal contact in the foul.
While it can be argued that the Sunderland player jumped out of the way to avoid injury, it was a very soft caution for the striker, whose reputation might have played a role in the referee’s thinking.
Obviously, officials would never admit to that, but it did seem that the reaction from the players around the situation caused a yellow card to be given when a blind eye could have easily been turned.