Stephen Warnock slams ‘Daft’ Semi Ajayi over penalty in West Brom 2-2 draw with Aston Villa
Ex-Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock has lambasted Semi Ajayi over his foul that won his former club a penalty in their 2-2 draw with West Brom on Sunday.
Sam Allardyce’s side got off to a horrendous start at Villa Park after referee Stuart Attwell adjudged Ajayi to have collided with Ross Barkley in the penalty area after just eight minutes.
Anwar El-Ghazi duly dispatched the spot-kick but Albion hit back and took the lead in the second half, before Keinan Davis rescued a point for the hosts at the end.
Speaking on Sky Sports ‘Ref Watch’ [11:30, 26/04/21], where former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and pundits review the weekend’s controversial incidents, Warnock was resolute in his belief that justice was served.
Sue Smith said it was “very soft” and an “eight or nine”, referencing the sliding scale they use on the show with one being a clear-cut decision and ten being completely wrong.
“I’m going the other way I think it’s very clumsy,” Warnock said.
“I think it’s just daft from Ajayi. I just don’t think he needs to go in for the tackle and it’s a clear penalty.
“I’m ex-Villa remember, it’s a one out of ten.”
Needless
Clumsy is certainly the correct word to describe Ajayi’s actions on Barkley.
Was it the most clear-cut decision of all time, and a stonewall penalty? No, but we’d have been raging if we hadn’t received it.
Warnock was clearly trying to row some support with the Villa fans with some cheeky jibes on Sky Sports.
But it was a pretty needless foul from the Nigeria international as there was no immediate threat to Sam Johnstone’s goal as Barkley was heading wide.
Lazy could be another word to describe Ajayi’s movements, especially with the incident taking place so early in the game.
We managed to get a soft penalty kick of our own so it worked out in that regard, but silly moments like this are what will likely cost us our Premier League status this year.
In other West Brom news, Albion line up new deal for first-team bound starlet to ward off PL suitors.
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