Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes that Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu was denied a penalty in Southampton’s 3-2 loss to Leicester City because he chose not to go down when his shirt was pulled in the box, Softfootball reports.
Onuachu, who has struggled for playing time this season, was introduced late in the game as Southampton searched for a goal.
The 31-year-old has only played 40 minutes across eight matches this season, having been strongly linked with a move to Trabzonspor during the summer transfer window.
However, the deal fell through due to the Turkish club’s inability to meet Southampton’s asking price.
In his 23-minute cameo against Leicester, Onuachu found himself in a key moment when his jersey appeared to be pulled in the penalty area. Despite calls for a penalty, referee Anthony Taylor waved play on.
Speaking after the game, Gallagher explained that a penalty likely would have been awarded had Onuachu fallen to the ground. “I think if Paul goes down, it makes a big deal because it’s a huge shirt pull,” Gallagher said.
“It’s much bigger than Ryan Fraser’s. But I don’t know if they have looked at it and said no, or if they haven’t, I don’t know what that process is.”
Gallagher also expressed surprise that the incident did not result in a penalty: “I thought it was a penalty. If you hold a player’s shirt for five steps, which he does, that’s sustained.”
The referee further speculated that the officials may have believed the goalkeeper would have reached the ball regardless of the foul. However, he maintained that the shirt pull was significant enough to warrant a penalty.
Despite Onuachu’s presence adding some strength to Southampton’s attack, he remains far from becoming a regular starter for the team.