Jonas Olsson reacts to major Plymouth v West Brom controversy after Sky footage
West Brom were unlucky to concede a penalty against Plymouth Argyle but the decision was correct, according to Jonas Olsson.
The former Albion defender has admitted he believes Dean Whitestone made the right call as Callum Styles was penalised for a close-range handball.
Styles and his team were punished by the referee with his arm instinctively raised, with Ryan Hardie going on to net the spot-kick and later fire in a winner for Argyle.
Albion suffered another away defeat under Tony Mowbray as the Championship’s bottom side secured a 2-1 win, Hardie’s double overcoming Jayson Molumby’s second-half opener just moments prior.
The defeat could drop Mowbray’s men out of the top six after the current round of fixtures, depending on how Middlesbrough fare against Sunderland on Monday (3 February).
Olsson said live on Sky Sports (1 February, 14:39): “I think so [a penalty]. I think he’s unlucky, he’s obviously making himself bigger with that arm stretched out.
“It looks like it hits his shoulder or face first, but it hits his arm in that position. I think it’s a penalty.”
West Brom suffer setback some did not expect
Following a second-straight away defeat either side of last weekend’s rampant victory, West Brom are left to lick their wounds on the long trip home to the West Midlands.
The Baggies met Plymouth at the wrong time, with the basement boys now starting to brew some momentum under new boss Miron Muslic.
Not many would still have anticipated a defeat from the journey down to Devon and even fewer after Molumby had broken the deadlock to put Albion ahead with just 16 minutes to go.
The visitors dominated possession and looked to create chances as expected, only to be pegged back by the penalty decision and ultimately beaten.
Albion now have a week to dust off and prepare for the hosting of Sheffield Wednesday at The Hawthorns next Saturday (8 February).
In other West Brom news, Keith Hackett goes one further on Saturday’s referee with an additional criticism.
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