Referee Rob Jones is standing by his decision to award Sheffield United a controversial penalty against Wolves, even after reviewing replays post-match. The penalty was given deep into stoppage time for a foul on George Baldock. This decision sparked outrage among supporters, and even pundit and former England striker Gary Lineker criticised it.
However, Jones later reviewed the incident with Wolves’ boss Gary O’Neil and maintained his belief that he and VAR had made the correct decision. O’Neil, speaking after the match, described this stance as “absolutely crazy.”
“It is not a penalty, hardly any contact,” O’Neil said post-match. “It is a tough one to discuss, it is another terrible decision.”
The Blades went 1-0 up after Cameron Archer thumped an effort from distance over the goalkeeper, aided by the underside of the crossbar. But the visitors thought they nicked a point in the 89th minute thanks to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. However, in the 10th minute of stoppage time, captain Oliver Norwood stepped up confidently to dispatch the penalty with virtually the final kick of the match.
The Wolves boss shared his thoughts on the penalty:
“I don’t understand why he feels the need to give it. Pause, take your time, it’s not about you. If you have made a clear and obvious error there, VAR will tell you after.” [SUTV]
Nevertheless, United now have four points and they’re two points from safety with a trip to Brighton on the horizon.
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