Man Utd get instant penalty response after Bryan Mbeumo flashpoint
Gary Neville has offered up his immediate thoughts on a penalty shout for Manchester United that was ultimately turned down. Bryan Mbeumo went down in the box against West Ham in the second half on Thursday night, but Jean-Clair Todibo was not punished by referee Andrew Kitchen.On commentary duties for Sky Sports, footballer-turned-pundit Neville said: "He got really close, the referee. It looks like Todibo just stuck a leg out, but did he make contact?"He's just stuck a leg out there, but he pulled it back. Mbeumo goes down. He just pulls that leg away there, he thinks about it, having a nibble."It was a big call from the match official, as United looked to take charge of the game at Old Trafford, with the game just drifting along. The home side took the lead just before the hour mark, as Diogo Dalot's deft touch set him up well to tuck the ball into the back of the net.The refereeing was under the spotlight in the match, with Kitchen taking charge of his first Man United and West Ham match of his career so far. It was just his fifth assignment in the Premier League, having come through the EFL ranks of officiating.Several big decisions befell the referee, with the Mbeumo penalty call being one of those he had to decipher. In the end, it seems as though he made the right decision with that one, as Todibo pulled his leg away from the challenge and didn't make substantial contact on the United forward.There was one controversial call late on, when Aaron Wan-Bissaka - on his return to his former club - made a challenge while on a yellow card. The defender appeared to take Patrick Dorgu out from behind, swiping at his legs in the process.While a foul was given, no second yellow card was awarded, a call that was described as fortunate by the commentary team. In the end, it counted for little, as both teams had to share the spoils.The game continued to provide opportunities to Ruben Amorim's side, who worked some promising positions, but were unable to make them count. That inability to find the back of the net was punished in the final ten minutes, when West Ham created a sting in the tail.A near-post corner was flicked on and heading goalward until Noussair Mazraoui cleared the ball off the line. That clearance could only get as far as Soungoutou Magassa, who put the ball into the back of the net with the rebounded effort.While United pushed to find an eventual winner, they fell just short, with Amorim painting a frustrated figure on the touchline as his team showed a lack of intensity in their play once again. It'll go down as a missed opportunity again for the side, who sit eighth in the Premier League with 22 points from 14 games, while West Ham remain in the bottom three, but with a valuable point going towards their survival efforts.
