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Coventry City and Portsmouth played out 1-0 at the CBS on Wednesday night to strengthen the Sky Blues’ grip on a play-off berth.
Coventry have every right to feel hard done by during the first half, though. The Sky Blues were not handed a penalty in the first half after Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s shot was blocked in the box by Andre Dozzell.
Unfortunately, it was blatantly with his hand and high in the eyes of many. That could and should have been a penalty for the home side at a crucial stage of the match and with Coventry growing into things against Pompey.
Fortunately, it did not have any bearing on the outcome of the game and and Frank Lampard’s side could leave feeling relieved that nothing came of it following Jamie Paterson’s stunning late strike.
We learnt plenty from Coventry against Portsmouth about both but the penalty not being given was a controversial moment that threatened to dominate the narrative.
Coventry fans react to penalty incident against Portsmouth
Despite predictions before the game, it was a difficult one for Coventry to navigate, particularly in those opening stages where a penalty would have opened up the game for the home side.
John Mousinho admitted they were the better side and Lampard knew they needed to be aggressive to find a way to win — which a Ben Sheaf start would have aided.
However, the penalty incident is all anyone could really speak about during the first half. Numerous fans said the same thing regarding the call.
One stated: “Another game, another horrible decision from the officials. He’s far enough away, it’s handball and the ref is staring right at it.”
Another stated: “No pen? Ok ref nice one…….”
Another Cov fan made their feelings known in emphatic style, adding: “This ref is an absolute disgrace.”
Finally, one said: “Average half – game is there for the taking though! It’s so hard not to ref bash – but the standard is so poor. Blatant handball for the penalty shout. Why no yellow card when he played the advantage? Why three mins added time when Torp was down for longer?”
Refereeing decisions threatened to undermine Coventry. Gavin Ward had a difficult game in the middle from a Coventry perspective and they have every right to feel very hard done by on that particular incident.
What the Sky Sports pundits said about the penalty incident
Clinton Morrison and Tim Sherwood were the guests in the sky studio reacting to the incident. Michelle Owen asked: “Tim, might Coventry City have felt they should have had a penalty in the first half?”
Sherwood replied: “100%, Gavin Ward, the referee, has got a great view of this. He comes in from the left-hand side and you look at Dozzell there — he just sticks his hand up.
“I mean, he’s nearly caught it. It’s terrible. Sakamoto bends that towards the far post — why is his hand up there in the first place? Gavin Ward is stood only five yards away, you can see him there.
“He’s got a clear view of that. That is a handball. It is a clear penalty.”
Morrison replied: “Yeah, I don’t know how he doesn’t see it, Michelle. Tim’s spot on. Look, he’s looking there. You know what? It’s not like he is right close to it, Dozzell.
“He’s about five yards away and he can get his hand out of the way. Listen, that’s where there is no VAR — and I know they probably don’t want it in these leagues, but sometimes you need it for big decisions like that.”