Fans fume after VAR denies West Ham a penalty against Chelsea because Wesley Fofana’s grab on Crysencio Summerville was only ‘fleeting’

West Ham United were denied a penalty in the first half of the London derby against Chelsea on Saturday, which many fans found utterly incomprehensible.

The Hammers were already 2-0 down thanks to an early double from Nicolas Jackson when Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana trapped Crysencio Summerville in the 19-yard box.

Referee Samuel Barrott did not point to the penalty spot, but the incident was still reviewed by the VAR team.

After a brief review, the VAR advised referee Barrott to stand by his original decision.

The reasoning behind that decision, as communicated by the TNT Sports commentary team, was apparently that Fofana’s hold on Summerville had only been “fleeting.” This explanation only seemed to irritate viewers more.

One West Ham fan tweeted: ‘I’ve watched it multiple times and I still don’t understand how this isn’t a West Ham penalty. Fofana clearly pulls Summerville back and stops him running towards the ball which is a foul. Game over.’

Another tweet said: ‘If fleeting means “pulled player down and prevented him from reaching the ball in the penalty area” then VAR is absolutely right.’

A third message read: ‘See how VAR chooses who to punish? A blatant arm pull, and they’ve described it as “fleeting”.’

Journalist Henry Winter also expressed his astonishment at the decision.

Winter tweeted: ‘”Fleeting”!! Fofana held Summerville longer than “fleeting”. That’s a pen. That’s what VAR is for – to catch “clear and obvious” mistakes like this. #WHUFC have been bad but that’s a bad decision against them.’

The Premier League Match Centre also attempted to explain the controversial decision via Twitter.

The tweet, shown on the big screen at the London Stadium, read: ‘The referee’s decision not to award a penalty for Fofana’s foul on Summerville has been reviewed and confirmed by VAR who judges that this was not a sustained penalty.’

Joe Cole – who played for both West Ham and Chelsea during his career – said during TNT’s half-time analysis: ‘I think it’s a penalty. He’s got it, he’s got the wrong side of it.

“If you put your hands on someone in the penalty area, it’s a penalty. At the end of the day, he (the referee) is the professional and he has the best view in the house. But I really sympathise with West Ham.”