Keith Hackett completely agrees with what’s been said on Birmingham vs West Brom controversy
West Brom breathed a sigh of relief over a penalty claim during their crunch clash with Birmingham City.
Before Tuesday’s clash at St Andrew’s, West Brom boss Eric Ramsay was facing mounting pressure after failing to win any of his five games in charge.
As we approach the final third of the season, West Brom are deep in a Championship relegation battle, with the Baggies just above the bottom three prior to kick-off.
But West Brom secured a valuable point at Birmingham in a 0-0 draw on the road for a second straight clean sheet in the league.
In the 95th minute, August Priske had a goal controversially ruled out for Birmingham, but that wasn’t the only hotly-debated call that went West Brom‘s way in the game.
Callum Styles avoids giving away West Brom penalty
In the first half, Callum Styles afforded himself a wry smile and a big sigh of relief when he just about got away with conceding a penalty for his side.
Seung-Ho Paik looked to have given Birmingham a 12th-minute lead but Styles was in the way to prevent his header rolling over the line.
The ball bounced past his torso but hit his arm behind his back. The home fans and players screamed for a penalty but nothing was given. And former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett said this was the correct call.
Hackett exclusively told West Brom News: “There is no offence here. It was so clearly the correct decision to turn down the appeals for a penalty kick.”
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said it was the right call not to award Birmingham a penalty and that Paik’s injury was a “complete accident”.
He said on Sky Sports: “The defender’s tried to block it, it’s gone through his legs, hits his knee, his backside and then his hand. It’s a complete accident. It’s not a handball and is the correct decision.”
Moreover, at half time, Sky Sports’ matchday coverage relayed the rules on handball, according to the International Football Association Board.
It states: “If a player prevents the ball from going into their own goal with their hand/arm but does not deliberately handle the ball and does not make their body unnaturally bigger – this is not a handball.”
West Brom show grit but more needed to beat the drop
While the Birmingham point is a good one, that is now six games without a win for new boss Ramsay.
And although that is two clean sheets in a row, something they previously hadn’t achieved in 11 league games, they need goals to fire them up the table.
With the likes of strikers Daryl Dike and Josh Maja, among others, they should have enough to stay in the division.
But their last goal came in a 1-1 draw at Derby County on 23 January. The last time they scored more than one goal in a game was back on 16 January in a 2-3 defeat to Middlesbrough.
The defence looks solid but West Brom have to start scoring and fast.