'No doubt' - Ex-referee disagrees with Chris Wilder as blunt verdict provided on double Sheffield United penalty claim

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher doesn’t believe Sheffield United deserved a penalty on either occasion in which there were appeals during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to West Brom.

Bramall Lane was twice left asking the question following incidents inside the West Brom penalty area, most notably in the second-half when Ousmane Diakite collided with an onrushing Callum O’Hare to send the Blades man down. Fans were already feeling aggrieved when the ball appeared to strike a Baggies arm, with further shouts for a spot-kick again waved away by referee Stuart Attwell.

Gallagher and Wilder disagree

Chris Wilder highlighted the first incident in his post-match interview on Sky Sports, suggesting that a foul would have been awarded anywhere else on the pitch. But former top-flight ref Gallagher has seemingly disagreed with the Blades boss, while also highlighting why the subsequent handball shouts were not met with a penalty.

“The referee thinks it is shoulder to shoulder and if you look at it, there is a lot of that about it,” Gallagher told Sky Sports’ Ref Watch of the incident involving O’Hare. “It is very, very strong but I think it’s because he’s so much stronger. If you look, they are side by side.”

And on the handball claims that followed, he added: “I think it hits his arm but again, it just hits his arm. There’s no doubt it hits him but his arm is tucked in.”

Wilder reaction

While neither were stonewall penalties, United fans might have hoped to get one of the decisions and the collision between Diakite and O’Hare looked most controversial. The Blades man had burst into the West Brom box and was knocked clean down to the ground, allowing a Baggies defender to clear.

"Any other part of the pitch and that push on Callum O'Hare when he goes through is a free kick," Wilder said of the incident. "Then two minutes later there is one in the bottom corner and then one in the top corner. What happens is that it is in a different area of the pitch that has lines around it, so it is not not given when it should be given."

A coming together between Jayson Molumby and Tom Davies also had United fans clamouring for a spot-kick, only to be left disappointed. West Brom, meanwhile, wanted a penalty of their own late on after Torbjorn Heggem thought his shirt had been pulled, although to blow up for that would have been incredibly harsh on Wilder’s side.

In the end, Attwell opted against a decisive decision at either end and a draw seemed fair for both sides. There was little to separate the two after Karlan Grant cancelled out Andre Brooks’ opener, and although United have now dropped points in both of their last two, Wilder was more than happy with the performance.

"I'm delighted, honestly,” he told the Star. “I know it's difficult at times because the supporters have got other commitments and you're never going to get everyone staying at the end in any ground, but the reaction of the supporters for the last 15-20 minutes, and at the end, was incredible. They saw a team that's stretched, that's tired, that's got some issues physically, but they went right to the end. Absolutely right to the end and wanted to win the game, Everybody saw that, me included.”