Chelsea 2-2 West Ham Utd (19/03/16)

[Benny the Ball]

We all need to move on. Its unfair on the referee and even the linesman to get the call right, at normal speed and from the position the referee was in, it looked a clear penalty to me, until you get the benefit of multiple slow-mo's and different camera angles. Antonio should have made sure there was no chance of any contact at that point in the game...but then he isn't a full back is he?

Disappointing but not the end of the world, I would have taken a point before the kick off, albeit annoying that we could not hold the lead....I think this is the first time this season we have conceded after 83 minutes.

As mentioned elsewhere I think 4th is now a clear possibility and we have 6 pointers coming against Leicester, Arsenal and ManU. We are the form team and injuries improving weekly. The 2 other Manc clubs have much harder run ins and both have issues...City have clearly switched off, ManU need to keep LVG as long as they can because they are bang average with him at the helm. Its also good for us that apart from Palace and Swansea at home, we avoid the relegation battlers...Sunderland, NUFC and Norwich are all going to pull rabbits out of hats over the final stretch and its great for us that we have played them all twice...although not very successfully to be honest.

BtB

[WHU647580]

Don't disagree Benny, I actually do think there was contact even though it was accidental, but 2 feet outside the box, that is a truly awful decision, the assistant is as much to blame if he's in line as he should be.

Anyway, probably best to move on, all this looking back in anger isn't healthy.

8 games to go, 5 at home where i'd fancy us against anyone and 3 away two of which are very winnable and I wouldn't put it past us to get something at Leicester either.

Always thought we'd be around 6th-8th......never did I think we'd be top 4, we've got a real chance now, it's all in our own hands.

COYI

[sendô]

Antonio should have made sure there was no chance of any contact at that point in the game

Why should he? Football is a contact sport. At no point in the laws of the game does it state that contact equals a foul.

I still find it staggering just how many people do not understand this.

If it was a trip then it's a foul. If there is "contact" and Loftus-Cheek decides to kick his own ankle afterwards and take a tumble then that is a dive.It's hard for the referee to tell in real time, but I don't see how anyone with the benefit of the replays can come to any other conclusion.

[Clacton-ammer]

Sendo, for me, it was a foul, I really don't have a problem in the ref giving it. Just give it where it took place!

[Aceface]

Has a draw ever felt so much like a loss?

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Why should he? Football is a contact sport. At no point in the laws of the game does it state that contact equals a foul.

I still find it staggering just how many people do not understand this.

If it was a trip then it's a foul. If there is "contact" and Loftus-Cheek decides to kick his own ankle afterwards and take a tumble then that is a dive.It's hard for the referee to tell in real time, but I don't see how anyone with the benefit of the replays can come to any other conclusion.

It was a foul but outside the box. Football is a contact sport as in you can shoulder barge, jostle, etc without getting penalised (like netball or basketball), but a trip is foul especially as Antonio was behind him and impeded Loftus-Cheek
Never a penalty but it was a foul IMHO, should have been a free kick

[Centre Half]

Disappointed with the draw of course but f*** it. A point there is never a bad result.

City losing yesterday I think is a good thing, despite Man Yoo winning they've still got to come to the boleyn where we smash them to pieces. Let's catch what's above us instead of worrying about whom might catch us.

[Aceface]

Antonio should have made sure there was no chance of any contact at that point in the game

To be fair, that's exactly what he was trying to do - he was desperately attempting to pull out of it.

Unfortunately, the last two games probably would have been seen out if we had a proper defence available - Martial's goal came on the side of the pitch where we had a midfielder and a winger operating in the back 4, and Antonio got caught out in a way you'd hope a natural fullback wouldn't.

It's not as bad as it was earlier on in the season, but the injury thing is still hitting us in unfortunate ways. Thankfully Tomkins and Byram should both be back after the break.

[The Old Man of Storr]

We all need to move on. Its unfair on the referee and even the linesman to get the call right, at normal speed and from the position the referee was in, it looked a clear penalty to me, until you get the benefit of multiple slow-mo's and different camera angles. Antonio should have made sure there was no chance of any contact at that point in the game...but then he isn't a full back is he?

Disappointing but not the end of the world, I would have taken a point before the kick off, albeit annoying that we could not hold the lead....I think this is the first time this season we have conceded after 83 minutes.

Having seen it both on Sky and the BBC I have to say that I agree with Benny .

In fact it happened so fast I thought the incident happened about 6 yards inside the penalty area .

Unlucky .

[westham,eggyandchips]

Sendo, for me, it was a foul, I really don't have a problem in the ref giving it. Just give it where it took place!

Antonio seems to have got off quite lightly. Made a silly tackle on the edge of our box. Ok the ref and lino combined have made a hash of it, but if Antonio keeps his head, then the ref has no decision to make.

It seems to be a common trait of our right backs this season. We'd have got 3 pts against Man City if it wasn't for Jenkinsons stupidity.

[War Pony]

To be fair to Antonio (and it wasnt a foul) - the fella has come from the championship, big games like that you could understand if abit of inexperience crept in!

[mushy]

We all need to move on. Its unfair on the referee and even the linesman to get the call right, at normal speed and from the position the referee was in, it looked a clear penalty to me, until you get the benefit of multiple slow-mo's and different camera angles. Antonio should have made sure there was no chance of any contact at that point in the game...but then he isn't a full back is he?


BtB

I think thats about right, forwards are trained these days that as soon as the get goalside of a defender, they go down.
Thats where it went wrong for us on Saturday, both Reid and Antonio made mistakes in a positional sense.
Unusual for Reid, but Antonio is not a natural in that position in my opinion.
The linesman/referee got it wrong, but the coaches will be looking at why they were allowed to be in those positions in the first place.
By the way, there was a journalist on the radio last night saying it was the linesmans call, and he gave the penalty. Does not excuse the Ref for some of his other crap-ups though.

[Ariksan]

It really shows how far we've come this season. Playing away to Chelsea and feeling disappointing about a draw.

[Dwight1970]

Having seen it both on Sky and the BBC I have to say that I agree with Benny .

In fact it happened so fast I thought the incident happened about 6 yards inside the penalty area .

Unlucky .

I don't know what game I was watching but it never looked in the area to me and not sure how the officials come to that conclusion as when both players enter the penalty box there is clear distance between them, just follow the direction of their respective runs really gives it away and where they end up so based of the fact the officials had to be 100% sure it was inside it really wasn't a difficult call NOT to give a penalty.

Slaven highlighted it perfectly in had it been a slide challenge or a tussle that started outside the box than continued into it then you can have sympathy for the officials but it wasn't I will tell you what happened is that the officials guessed therefore deserve any flack coming their way as you should never do that for a penalty.

[Aceface]

Thats where it went wrong for us on Saturday, both Reid and Antonio made mistakes in a positional sense.
Unusual for Reid, but Antonio is not a natural in that position in my opinion.

The Reid one was probably a product of our current confidence - the actual mistake was attempting to chest it down in order to play it back out along the floor - under Allardyce that would have been headed into the stands, no question.

[@dave_boy]

Has a draw ever felt so much like a loss?

Yep, Spurs away last season. Harry Kane stumbles over in the last seconds

[Turns to Stone]

Objectively, we've just got a point in the toughest game of our run-in, and if we were any other club, you would be saying that we are the form team going into the Champions league run-in. With Man City having 5 points from their last 5 games, Man Utd 9 points from their last 5 games and us with 11 points from 5. We also have the best manager of those three (the only one that gives a sh#t as he's the only one who'll be in the job next year).

Leicester City is going to be a very tough game, but they have looked shaky against Newcastle and Palace (two of the worst teams in the division). I did say that I couldn't see Man City not winning 5 of their last 9, but with the defensive injuries and Bony looking like a poor man's Carlton Cole, I reckon it's our 4th to lose right now.

[Aceface]

Yep, Spurs away last season. Harry Kane stumbles over in the last seconds

I dunno. That caused some inner agg of course but didn't have any real further-reaching implications.

Maybe I'm being a bit fatalistic but it really felt like Saturday's was a momentous decision in terms of how this season might pan out. Chelsea away was the turning point for good two seasons ago, and the turning point for bad last season....hopefully it isn't considered a season turning point yet again.

[Estuary]

The ref had doubt if the foul on Loftus- Cheek was inside or outside, that's why he consulted the lino before giving the pen. To me, in real time it looked exactly as it was, minimal contact outside the box, and the player fell inside.
How a lino fifty yards had a better view than the ref who was much closer is beyond me.
Just a small issue re the nature of the build up to their pen. We lost the ball high up attacking their right defensive area, Payets pass gets cut out and they then go right through the centre of our team, with Willian cruising past our entire midfield and passing into an unmarked forward. I wouldn't be happy about that given I put on a third central midfield player to shore up the game if I were Slaven.

[Dwight1970]

The ref had doubt if the foul on Loftus- Cheek was inside or outside, that's why he consulted the lino before giving the pen. To me, in real time it looked exactly as it was, minimal contact outside the box, and the player fell inside.
How a lino fifty yards had a better view than the ref who was much closer is beyond me.
Just a small issue re the nature of the build up to their pen. We lost the ball high up attacking their right defensive area, Payets pass gets cut out and they then go right through the centre of our team, with Willian cruising past our entire midfield and passing into an unmarked forward. I wouldn't be happy about that given I put on a third central midfield player to shore up the game if I were Slaven.

You are right unless the officials are instructed to guess then any doubt results in not giving the penalty, not to do that you not making an honest mistake if you are wrong so and as I keep saying I don't understand the sympathy for the officials, I did last week for Atkinson as he didn't guess he wasn't sure so gave nothing in the penalty incident or didn't notice it in not overturning their goal, whereas Madley and his linesman were guessing that is wrong.