Pundit and former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has slammed an 'embarrassing' decision from 'upstairs' involving West Ham United.
The Lowdown: Hammers robbed?
The Premier League season is well and truly underway, but alongside the scintillating football, drama often accompanies it.
Attention turns to the pitch after a busy summer of spending throughout England's top flight as clubs from up and down the nation sought to strengthen in key areas ahead of a very congested fixture calendar.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is merely months away and clubs will want to grab as many points as possible before the never-before-seen winter break to fit in a major international tournament.
However, sides can often be on the receiving end of controversial refereeing decisions, as evident by Maxwel Cornet's late equaliser against Chelsea being ruled out for an alleged foul on keeper Edouard Mendy.
The Latest: Whelan baffled...
The east Londoners fell to a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge as a result, with Whelan branding the decision 'scandalous' and 'embarrassing'.
He explained to Football Insider:
“Embarrassing is what I’d call it. Embarrassing from the people upstairs.
“It’s costing teams. It’s all very well coming out afterwards and saying they got it wrong.
“It was just soft and scandalous. It’s halting teams’ progression in the Premier League and damaging them. West Ham worked hard in that game and deserved something to show for it.
“I’ve got every sympathy for David Moyes. It’s the wrong decision – how many times do we have to keep going on about VAR?
“They’re getting it so wrong, and it’s not helping the referees."
The Verdict: Embarrassing indeed
Ruling the goal out for what appeared to be unintentional and minimal contact between Mendy and Jarrod Bowen certainly was an eye opener.
As Whelan says, the post-match apology from the PGMOL and subsequent investigation offers no real solace to Moyes and the Hammers, who should have left Stamford Bridge sitting outside of the relegation zone.
West Ham will be looking to put that controversial moment behind them as soon as possible and get back to winning ways, starting with a home clash against Newcastle after their Europa Conference League excursions.