Howard Webb Hails Assistant for 'Brave Decision' Over Benteke Penalty
By Chris Deeley
Former Premier League referee Howard Webb has said that assistant referee Scott Ledger was right to advise Andre Marriner to give a penalty for Liverpool against Damien Delaney at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
The decision came deep into second half injury time, allowing Christian Benteke to give the Reds the victory with almost the last kick of the game. Video replays showed that Delaney's knee clipped the Belgian's heel, and Webb told the Times that the decision to award the penalty was the correct one.
He said: “If you trip or attempt to tackle an opponent in a careless way, it’s an offence, and that’s what Damien Delaney did. Do I think Christian Benteke could have stayed on his feet if at the other side of the tackle there had been £10m and a night with the most beautiful girl in the world? Of course he could.
“Only Benteke will know how much contact there really was and how it affected him, but Delaney’s challenge gave him the opportunity to go down. He had looked into the box and seen he did not have much support, so Delaney’s contact was a gift.
“Andre Marriner, the referee, could not see it from his position, but Scott Ledger, the assistant, saw there had been contact and was brave enough to give the decision.”
Palace players have insisted after the game that the decision robbed them of a point, with Joe Ledley saying: "I have had a look at it and I do not think it is a penalty at all. He did not touch him. If you go down like that, it is always in the referee's mind to give a penalty. It's definitely not a penalty. It is nothing. I thought it was a dive."
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