‘Huge error from the referee’ – Keith Hackett stunned by Portsmouth ‘injustice’ v Norwich
Portsmouth crashed to defeat against Norwich City in the Championship on Saturday, but it was not without controversy.
A late goal from Adrian Segecic was not enough for Pompey to salvage something against Norwich at Fratton Park, losing 2-1.
The defeat marks a huge drop for Portsmouth after John Mousinho secured a victory against Oxford United last week.
But the loss may not all be on Mousinho’s men after a dubious decision from Stephen Martin may have cemented their fate.
Pompey News presents the exclusive opinion of former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett.
Portsmouth deserved last-minute penalty decision
Connor Ogilvie has been criticised at Portsmouth for his brash decisions before and came under fire once again on Saturday.
This comes after he was shown a yellow card seconds after Segecic sent one in from the corner flag. Pompey were desperate to secure a last-minute equaliser and hoped to capitalise when Ogilvie was brought down in the box.
However, the defender went into the book for alleged diving and play resumed for the home side.
- Ogilvie has started both Championship games for Portsmouth this season
- He also received a yellow card against Oxford
It was suspected that Oglivie was guilty of simulation against Norwich, but ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett – speaking exclusively to Pompey News – believes a penalty should have been awarded.
“This is a trip and should have resulted in the award of a penalty kick,” Hackett said.
“Huge error by the referee. Sadly, the team do not get a penalty kick and the player receives a yellow card with no ability to appeal. An injustice”
Portsmouth learned something big against Norwich
While defeat is a difficult burden to bear, it has not come at a better time for Portsmouth. Pompey are at the beginning of the Championship campaign and can use the loss as a learning curve.
One of the biggest takeaways from Portsmouth’s defeat is that they need to capitalise on their missed chances. While they may have deserved another penalty towards the end, Pompey had several opportunities to take all three points.
This includes a separate missed penalty from Pompey’s Colby Bishop 10 minutes before the full-time whistle. Therefore, even without the penalty decision, Portsmouth had ample opportunities to successfully win the game.
It’s time to move on.
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