Sky Sports pundit reacts to El Hadji Malick Diouf controversy in West Ham loss vs Newcastle United

One point from two games for Tottenham would now be enough for them to secure 17th place and send the Hammers down.

Which West Ham player was the most infuriating against Newcastle United?

The Hammers were shambolic at St. James’ Park…

Michael Bridges believes West Ham did not deserve penalty for El Hadji Malick Diouf incident

In the second half, El Hadji Malick Diouf found himself in a threatening position inside the opposition penalty area.

He did feel some contact and threw himself to the floor looking for a penalty, but the on-field referee, Jarred Gillett, waved off any protests from the Hammers players.

Michael Bridges, a Sky Sports pundit, who was on commentary for the Premier League world feed, also agreed with his decision.

That couldn’t have gone much worse! Can you explain what went wrong? 😞

While he did admit there was contact as there were players surrounding the West Ham defender, it clearly was not enough to give a penalty.

The VAR looked at the incident from multiple angles but agreed with the referee’s decision pretty quickly, and play was allowed to continue.

Bridges said: “There was definitely contact inside the penalty area, but not enough for a penalty. Right decision there.”

Where do West Ham go from here?

The Hammers know that they need at least a point from this game to go into the final day of the season with some optimism.

Now, they will need Chelsea to beat Tottenham and hope that they can pick up the three points against Leeds United on the final day.

Spurs take on Everton in their last game, so they will have another chance to avoid relegation if they cannot get the job done against Chelsea.

We are all but relegated — how would you feel about keeping Nuno in the Championship? 🧑‍💼

Or was that performance the last straw? 😡

Many at West Ham will be planning for life in the Championship, and there could be a number of first-team players who leave.

Nuno also may not be at the London Stadium, and there could also be new owners before the 2026/27 campaign begins.

Fans have every right to fear for the worst, as there is just so much uncertainty surrounding the team.