Story by
Keith Hackett disagrees with Dermot Gallagher over Aston Villa vs Fulham incident
- Story by
- Keith Hackett disagrees with Dermot Gallagher over Aston Villa vs Fulham incident
John McGinn's missed penalty in Aston Villa's draw with Fulham has been the subject of controversy since Saturday.
Villa missed the chance to build upon their 2-1 win over Manchester City last time out in the Premier League with a disappointing 1-1 draw with struggling Fulham at Villa Park.
Advertisement
Nicolas Jackson struck first in the 39th minute but a Zion Suzuki own goal not long after the hour-mark saw two points dropped to a team that many think could be contenders for relegation this season.
Villa, however, will be feeling hard done by after McGinn missed a penalty in the 16th minute when he struck the crossbar in front of the empty North Stand.
The Scotland international's spot-kick crashed against the crossbar while Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno went the wrong way.
No appeals were made for a retake during the game but some eagle-eyed fans seem to think that Leno's antics prior to the penalty being taken mean it should've been retaken.
Advertisement
What Bernd Leno did to John McGinn before penalty miss
Just as the referee blew his whistle and McGinn started his run-up, Leno jumped up and touched the crossbar.
He pushed it up a bit, but it's led to some fans thinking that it was a deliberate attempt from the German shot-stopper to distract McGinn.
Sky Sports journalist Patrick Rowe pointed to IFAB law 14.1, which apparently stays that goalkeeper's must not "behave in a way that unfairly distracts the kicker, eg touch the goalposts or crossbar".
Dermot Gallagher, speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch reckons the penalty should have been re-taken - but Keith Hackett disagrees.
Advertisement
Ian Maatsen was Aston Villa's best player vs Fulham - The slander must stop Keith Hackett's reaction to McGinn penalty controversy
Looking at the IFAB laws, former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has a different interpretation to Gallagher.
On the FA's website , which shows the laws of the game in regards to penalty kicks, it does say what Rowe quoted it as saying.
However, Hackett points to a table on the same website, which says that if a goalkeeper commits an offence and a taker's penalty isn't saved, the penalty is "not retaken", "unless [the] kicker is clearly impacted".
Advertisement
Former PGMOL general manager Hackett doesn't think it was clear whether McGinn was impacted by Leno touching the crossbar, and because the penalty was not saved, it shouldn't have been retaken.
"When you look at this incident, the match officials have to determine if the action by the goalkeeper has impacted in the kicker," Hackett told Villa News.
"I am satisfied that McGinn did not miss his penalty kick because of this.
"If the goalkeeper had impacted the taker by making the goal smaller, having done something like pulling the crossbar, the penalty would be retaken."
