Keith Hackett reacts to penalty incident Portsmouth fans were raging about in draw vs Watford
Portsmouth drew 2-2 with Watford on Wednesday as Adrian Segecic rescued a point for the hosts.
Despite dominating in the first half and leading at the break thanks to Yang Min-hyeok, Pompey were pegged back as soon as the second half got underway through Imran Louza.
Rocco Vata then got the visitors’ second before Segecic equalised with 10 minutes to go.
Many Portsmouth players were poor against Watford, in a match the hosts were expected to win.
However, the result could have been completely different, with Pompey having a penalty shout turned down shortly after Watford’s equaliser.
Keith Hackett: Portsmouth should have had a penalty
Colby Bishop has received a lot of criticism of late for his performances at Portsmouth.
The striker has only netted once this season, from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw with West Brom.
However, the attacker had a golden chance to score in the 49th-minute as he ran towards a bouncing ball inside the box.
Tussling with Watford’s James Abankwah, the striker eventually went down in the area. Yet, the referee instead awarded a free-kick to the Hornets.
Many Portsmouth fans were furious with this decision, with plenty of supporters at Fratton Park screaming for a penalty.
Speaking exclusively to Pompey News, Keith Hackett believes the official got the decision wrong.
He said: “The referee moves at speed in an attempt to get a good view of this incident. However, he decides not to award a penalty kick for holding.
“It is my opinion that the holding is sustained and eventually results in the Portsmouth player going to ground.
“It is a foul and a penalty kick.”
- Read more: ‘Get John Swift out of Portsmouth’ – Midfielder torn to shreds over ‘terrible’ incident vs Watford
John Mousinho needs to learn how to adapt quicker
Despite many of Portsmouth’s players being below par, John Mousinho also did not cover himself in glory.
Watford made changes at half-time, and this clearly gave the visitors an advantage early in the second period.
However, it took Mousinho ages to solve this problem, and by the time he did, Pompey were already 2-1 down.
If Portsmouth want to avoid relegation this season, Mousinho simply has to be quicker to adapt to the game when challenges such as these are imposed on him.
If not, Pompey will continue to be punished as managers work out how to counter their system.
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