Elliot Bell ‘cannot be defended’ after major West Brom vs Portsmouth controversy
West Brom were on the wrong end of two vital refereeing decisions in their draw against Portsmouth on Saturday.
Although the 1-1 draw with Portsmouth means Ryan Mason’s side continue their unbeaten start to the Championship campaign, they will be disappointed that they did not walk away with all three points.
Albion were denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty after a foul on Aune Heggebo, and just a few minutes later, Regan Poole should’ve been sent off for pulling the Norwegian, who attempted to be honest and stay on his feet.
Mason was red carded for his appeals after the decisions went against side, meaning that the Albion manager did not partake in any media duties after the game to give his thoughts.
Referee blasted on Soccer Saturday after controversial decisions
Normally, Mikey Johnston’s screamer that opened the scoring would be enough to grab the headlines, but the winger’s moment of magic has been firmly overshadowed.
Referee Elliot Bell was the centre of attention as the official denied West Brom on two separate occasions.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Mark McAdam was critical of Bell’s big decisions.
“Two challenges that have happened in the last few moments have gone against the home side, one with a striker into the box, looks like he was taken down, Connor Ogilvie, Ryan Mason really vocal on the side of the pitch towards the fourth official, shown the yellow card,” McAdam said.
“Just a few moments later, ball over the top as well, and Regan Poole pulls the striker back. He’s all over him; he’s all over his body.
“I can see his shirt being pulled. I want to defend the referee but I can’t, it looked like it was a last man challenge, it looked like it should’ve been a red card.
“And you can understand why Ryan Mason is so frustrated.”
West Brom made to settle for point vs Portsmouth
Despite the game at The Hawthorns being a closely contested affair, the data suggests that Portsmouth were the better of the two sides.
- Portsmouth had two big chances as opposed to West Brom’s zero
- Despite having only 38% possession, Portsmouth recorded an xG of 1.02 compared to the Baggies’ 0.58
- West Brom were the side with more shots, with 13 in comparison to the eight that the visitors managed
This is why data can be misleading at times, as Alex Mowatt’s shot that hit the post will not go down as a big chance due to the fact that it was an effort from distance.
There are a lot of positives that West Brom can take from the game, including Joshua Griffiths delivering another stellar performance in between the sticks.
After only making six appearances in the Championship last season, Mason looks to have found his first-choice shot stopper for the foreseeable future.
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