Keith Hackett reacts to Southampton penalty controversy vs Sheffield United after footage emerges

Southampton can count themselves unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty for a challenge on Tom Fellows during their 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Wednesday night.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that Fellows’ attempts to stay on his feet convinced referee Thomas Kirk not to award the spot kick.

Sheffield United are trying to distance themselves from the Championship relegation zone, but they fell to a third straight defeat in all competitions in midweek, as Leo Scienza’s 8th-minute goal proved to be enough for the hosts to claim all three points.

The defeat on the South Coast leaves Chris Wilder’s side just four points clear of the drop zone in the second tier, as concerns over the possibility of a surprise relegation refuse to go away.

Keith Hackett feels Harrison Burrows was lucky with Tom Fellows challenge

Football Insider revealed on Wednesday that Sheffield United are chasing Chelsea defender Harry McGlinchey as a potential new addition to their backline.

The Blades have now kept just one clean sheet in their last nine games in all competitions, and the scoreline against Southampton could easily have been worse, had Harrison Burrows been punished for his challenge on Fellows.

The Sheffield United left-back appeared to trip the Saints winger inside the penalty area during the first half, and Fellows eventually fell to the ground after initially trying to stay on his feet.

Footage of the incident was played during the coverage of Wednesday night’s action on Sky Sports News, with Darren Ambrose suggesting that Fellows’ attempts to stay upright swayed referee Kirk into not awarding the penalty.

Hackett agreed with that view, and suggested that the incident was a prime example of why players are sometimes encouraged to go down inside the box.

“It was a careless challenge,” Hackett said.

“I suspect like many of these incidents, had Fellows gone to ground immediately, there would have been a strong possibility that the referee would have awarded a penalty kick.

“The careless challenge therefore went unpunished, and Sheffield United can feel a little lucky. This incident highlights why managers encourage their players to go to ground when there is contact inside the area.”

Defeat vs Southampton a huge missed opportunity for Sheffield United

Sheffield United are trying to add to their squad in the latter stages of the January transfer window, and fresh faces are desperately needed if they are to pull away from the drop zone.

Wednesday night’s defeat was a big missed opportunity for Wilder’s men, against a side that have endured equal struggles in the second tier so far this term.

It is also a missed opportunity that they could quickly come to regret, given that three of their next four games come against teams in the current top five.

Sheffield United are now in a position where they need to take points from those encounters against Ipswich, Millwall and Middlesbrough, or they could quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the dotted line.

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