Joe Cole broke through into the footballing world through West Ham’s academy and he will always hold a special place for his former club, meaning that his insistence on Thiago Alcantara being punished for his penalty box handball – is understandable.
Speaking on BT Sport, the former Chelsea man said: “I understand David [Moyes’] frustrations. If you go to ground in the box, you’re taking a risk of giving away a penalty with a foul or with your arm. You have to benefit attacking play and you have to punish poor defending. For me it’s a penalty.”
It’s fair to say that the Londoners had a case as the ball did clearly touch the hand of our No.6 and we too would have been aggrieved to have not been given a spot-kick.
However, the close proximity to which our midfielder was to the ball has clearly been taken into account and thankfully – the decision went our way at the London Stadium.
You can watch Cole’s argument for the possible West Ham penalty via @btsportfootball on Twitter:
"If you go to ground in the box, you're taking a risk."
Joe Cole, @CarltonCole1 and @petercrouch discuss whether West Ham should've been awarded a penalty late on against Liverpool 😮 pic.twitter.com/D7LXJ02CZg
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 26, 2023
Forget the handball which although debateable, should have been given … what about the over the top, out of control tackle? … If Ings goes down there, it’s a stonewall penalty and Thiago sees red … why is no-one talking about that?