Keith Hackett reacts to Carragher and Pereira’s controversial clash in Wigan vs Fulham
Keith Hackett reacts to Carragher and Pereira’s controversial clash in Wigan vs Fulham
Wigan defender James Carragher should have been punished for his “unsporting behaviour” on Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira, according to Keith Hackett.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider that defender Carragher “clearly pulls” Pereira on the edge of Wigan‘s box.
Despite the heroics of Preston transfer target Sam Tickle in goal, Wigan were unable to best their Premier League opponents, despite some second-half dominance.
Fulham were able to progress to the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 win, thanks to two goals from Rodrigo Muniz, either side of an unbelievable strike from Jonny Smith.
Marco Silva made a number of changes to his side, giving Martial Godo, Josh King and Ryan Sessegnon starts. Willian was signed on a free transfer in February, and was an unused substitute by Silva.
Fulham aim to qualify for Europe via FA Cup after beating Wigan
Having been in position to qualify for Europe at the beginning of the season, the Whites have struggled to keep pace with their rivals in the Premier League this season and currently sit ninth.
Silva had been hoping to add to his side in January, with only Timothy Castagne fit to play at right-back currently, but Castagne and Tete scared off some Fulham targets from joining the club.
Fulham’s bid Bright Osayi-Samuel was rejected by Fenerbahce, and Silva was forced to settle with Willian being the only addition to his squad.
The Whites will now turn their attention to a first major trophy as their route into Europe this season, and the first-half against the Latics showed how strong the Whites can be.
However, after going into the break up 1-0, Smith scored a fantastic strike from outside the box, causing the Cottagers to look nervous.
Having regained their lead, goalkeeper Steven Benda made a number of important saves to secure a victory for Fulham
James Carragher should have been punished for incident with Andreas Pereira
In the 68th minute, with the score at 2-1, Pereira broke through and looked to be in with a chance to extend his side’s lead.
However, Carragher then pulled the Brazilian down, and referee David Webb surprisingly did not give a foul, only stopping play as Pereira went down holding his head.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former PGMOL chief said: “The defender clearly pulls his opponent and a free kick at that point and a yellow card for unsporting behaviour should have been awarded.”
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