Jamie Carragher and Theo Walcott were at loggerheads over the incident involving Konstantinos Mavropanos and Callum Wilson as West Ham United beat Newcastle United.
The duo disagreed over whether the Mavropanos’ challenge on Wilson in the second half of the Hammers’ win at St James’ Park on Monday (25 Novemb) was a penalty, appeals of which had been waved away by both the referee and the VAR booth.
Julen Lopetegui’s side defied the odds to claim a convincing 2-0 win on Tyneside, a fourth league victory of the season.
Live on Sky Sports [25 November, 22:18], Carragher said of the incident: “I think the ball is close enough to [Mavropanos], he’s never really going to get the ball. I think it’s hard to give a penalty – his left arm comes across, not both arms, and the ball is going over his head.
“That’s not a penalty, it’s not, people say he’s got his arm around him.”
Walcott wasted no time in coming straight in, retorting: “You centre-halves are clever. Watch his left leg come across and disrupt [Wilson’s] standing position there. It could have been a penalty,” to which Carragher appeared shocked.West Ham United blow Newcastle away on their own patch
For all the justified criticism West Ham have endured under Lopetegui’s reign thus far, they were outstanding on their trip north on Monday.
Newcastle were unable to match them for large periods, and the work-rate was incredible from what looked like a well-drilled side – even despite the international break fragmenting the squad’s preparations at Rush Green.A new lease of life was precisely what Hammers fans and many neutrals were struggling to anticipate, calling Lopetegui’s appointment a sideways move from the club, but they looked committed and confident in their cause.
Newcastle approached the game full of belief and in great form, with a chance to break into the top six of the Premier League. West Ham were staying 14th for now, no matter what – but the league reared its unpredictable head once again.
The challenge for Lopetegui is now to sustain that momentum, which they have so far failed to do. They are far from out of the woods, and Arsenal visit the London Stadium next – the Gunners were rampant 6-0 winners on their last visit.
But Monday will at least provide a crucial springboard from which the Irons can work towards a much more positive chapter in their campaign.
