Gary Neville says Michael Oliver put the referee under ‘pressure’ (Picture: Sky Sports)
Gary Neville has launched a Premier League referee conspiracy theory following Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday.
The Hammers were awarded a controversial late penalty in the match, which Jarrod Bowen slotted home to secure all three points against Erik ten Hag’s men.
It was given for Matthijs De Ligt’s foul on Danny Ings – with referee David Coote sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR Michael Oliver – who overturned his initial on-pitch decision not to award the spot kick.
United legend Neville, who now works as a football pundit for Sky Sports, is convinced that something suspicious is going on and is adamant that Coote didn’t want to upset his ‘superior’.
‘The interesting thing for me was when David Coote went over, he must have watched it eight times, and I’m screaming at the television,’ Neville said on his podcast.
‘I think he doesn’t think this is a penalty, he’s not having this, but he turns around and he overturns his original decision and it wasn’t right.
‘I think the pressure maybe of being sent over to the screen by Michael Oliver, a dominant referee… No one likes to upset their superiors.
Referee David Coote didn’t want to upset his ‘superior’ (Picture: Reuters)
‘You think of it when you’re a young player in the dressing room and you have a senior player in the dressing room, or if you’re young in the office and someone senior in the office makes a call you don’t really want to tell them that they’re wrong.
‘I think it was a bit of that because I’m not sure David Coote was anywhere near thinking that that was a penalty.
‘And it was a big shock, and in the end Jarrod Bowen steps up, takes the penalty, it’s emphatic, and United lose the game.’
Neville added: ‘Every team gets a bad decision – but that one wasn’t right for a couple of reasons.
‘De Ligt comes out, it’s not like a loose ball with Danny Ings, it’s bobbling in the box and they both sort of go for it and it’s like a knee from De Ligt that just makes contact with Ings, and it’s nothing really.
‘The referee doesn’t give a penalty on the pitch, David Coote, and then we’re watching it and he gets called over to the screen by Michael Oliver on VAR.’
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