Neville drops PL referee conspiracy hint after Man Utd penalty drama vs West Ham

Man Utd legend Gary Neville thinks referee David Coote felt pressure from his “superiors” to give West Ham a penalty against the Red Devils on Sunday.

The 2-1 loss to the Hammers at the London Stadium over the weekend has piled further pressure on Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag after a terrible start to the season.

Jarrod Bowen scored a controversial winner for West Ham from the penalty spot two minutes into stoppage time after a long VAR review for Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings.

Referee Coote took his time in studying the pitchside monitor before awarding the spot-kick, to the horror of Man Utd’s underfire manager and his players.

And Neville thinks there was something suspicious going on during the VAR check with the pressure getting to the Premier League referee.

Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, Neville said: “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.

“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.

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“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.”

On the incident, Man Utd legend 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.”