Howard Webb admits officials made a 'mistake' to award the Blades a penalty

Originally posted on Sheff United Way | By Jake Staniland | Last updated 11/10/23

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ head coach Gary O’Neil has revealed that PGMOL chief Howard Webb acknowledged that it was a mistake for Sheffield United to be awarded a penalty last weekend.

In the dying moments of the match at Bramall Lane, with the score tied at 1-1, referee Robert Jones ruled that George Baldock was fouled by Fabio Silva. After a lengthy VAR review, the decision was upheld, and Jones confirmed his stance to O’Neil in the dressing room after the game. However, a panel later determined that the penalty, converted by Oliver Norwood to secure a 2-1 victory for Sheffield United, should not have been given.

This panel unanimously concluded that Jones and the VAR team had made an error, adding to a series of decisions that have gone against Wolverhampton Wanderers this season.

Nevertheless this error resulted in Sheffield United picking up a much-needed first win of the campaign. And now the Bladesmen have hopes of building on this against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon. If they manage to pull off another shock result, and results go their way, they could find themselves out of the bottom three as we head into another international break. This seemed unthinkable this time last week.

This article first appeared on Sheff United Way and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: