Ref Mike Dean Teaches West Ham and Chelsea A Penalty Lesson

Anyone who watched the London derby between West Ham United and Chelsea would have been bemused to see referee Mike Dean make Frank Lampard take his penalty kick three times in a row before he awarded the goal. During the first two kicks, Dean ruled that both Chelsea and West Ham players ran into the penalty area before the ball was kicked. After the third attempt, the goal was awarded and the final score remained 1-1.

Fair play to Mike Dean for upholding the letter of the law. Watching plenty of football matches each week, I’m amazed by how many times we see players make basic mistakes such as foul throws, keepers leaving the goal-line before the penalty is kicked, and when the is ball not in the arc when a corner kick is taken.

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On the other hand, the actual penalty call by Dean shouldn’t have been awarded in the first place. Matthew Upson stretched out his leg to successfully knock the ball away from Daniel Sturridge but Upson’s slide ended up connecting with Sturridge and bringing the Chelsea striker down in the box.