MOTD in agreement over Farai Hallam controversy in Man City vs Wolves after Pep Guardiola comments

Farai Hallam has been in the spotlight after making his debut as a Premier League referee during the clash between Manchester City and Wolves on Saturday.

The Citizens emerged victorious over the Premier League’s bottom club at the Etihad Stadium, as first-half goals from Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo secured the points in comfortable fashion.

Semenyo has been impressive since joining Manchester City from Bournemouth earlier in the January window, and his strike on the stroke of half-time ensured that his team cut the gap to Arsenal to just four points ahead of their meeting with Manchester United.

Pep Guardiola’s side got back to winning ways after consecutive defeats in recent games, but once again it was a refereeing decision that stole the limelight.

Alan Shearer hails ‘brave’ Farai Hallam for Man City decision

Manchester City had a strong appeal for a penalty in their victory on Saturday, as Marmoush attempted to flick the ball past Yerson Mosquera inside the box, only to see it strike the arm of the Wolves defender.

Hallam waved the appeals away on the field, but was instructed to consult the pitch-side monitor by VAR officials Darren England and Sam Barrott.

However, the referee decided to uphold his original decision, as he deemed that Mosquera’s arm was in a natural position when it made contact with the ball.

Guardiola was left frustrated and demanded an explanation from PGMOL chief Howard Webb during his post-match interview.

Nevertheless, Alan Shearer praised the official during his analysis on Match of the Day, with the entire team in agreement that the correct decision was reached on the pitch.

“I actually think he (Hallam) gets the right decision here, I don’t agree with Guardiola; I don’t think that is handball,” the former Newcastle striker said.

“Mosquera’s arm is in a natural position, he’s only a yard away from Marmoush, and you’ve got two experienced referees in VAR who have said ‘we think you’ve made a clear error there, you need to go and check it on the monitor.’

“Despite his (Hallam’s) inexperience and it being his first game, he’s brave enough to say ‘I’m making a different call and sticking with my decision.’

“He was really confident, and he got that decision right and several others right as well.”

Ashley Williams then added that he agreed with Shearer’s view of the incident.

“It’s refreshing, isn’t it, that we’re giving officials praise,” he said. “But when they deserve it, we’re happy to give it to them.”

How did Keith Hackett assess Yerson Mosquera incident?

Ex-FIFA referee and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett exclusively told Football Insider on Saturday that he feels Hallam should have awarded a penalty to Manchester City, after being sent to consult the monitor.

The former official suggested that the VAR team were correct in their decision to point their colleague towards the screen at the side of the pitch, but he then felt that Hallam judged the situation incorrectly.

Hackett outlined his view that Mosquera’s arm was far enough away from his body to constitute a handball, and also added that it was another example of the inconsistencies that are commonplace among officials when dealing with handling offences.

The incident has recieved plenty of scrutiny since the game, and it is clear that the outcome of Hallam’s call has split many of the influential voices within the Premier League.

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