West Ham manager David Moyes believes Aaron Ramsdale's challenge on Jarrod Bowen during his side's 2-1 loss to Arsenal was 'reckless' and says the goalkeeper was fortunate to avoid punishment.
Ramsdale came charging out of his area and lunged at a loose ball after 51 minutes and Bowen went down in anticipation at the challenge.
The West Ham player was shown a yellow card for simulation and replays showed there was no contact, although Ramsdale did not get the ball either.
"The goalkeeper’s reckless and Jarrod gets there first," Moyes said afterwards. "If Jarrod leaves his leg there to get hit like hundreds of strikers do, I think it’s a very different situation for Arsenal and us.
“I don’t ever want my players to dive because I just don’t really believe in it. I think Jarrod could have easily left his leg there and trailing it into the goalkeeper, maybe he should have.
"It was a reckless challenge by the goalkeeper. The only thing that went for him was it was classed as no contact."
Ramsdale praised Bowen for his reaction after the game.
“I didn’t touch Bowen, I was a yard away," he told Sky Sports.
“He’s a good lad Jarrod, he jumped straight up and was honest and said I didn’t touch him. He thought I was going to make contact.”
Nevertheless, replays showed that Bowen was forced to move to the right in order to avoid contact.
"I think Jarrod Bowen is being far too nice here," Graeme Souness said on Sky Sports. "Watch him veer to the right.
"Look at the goalkeeper’s foot. If that ain’t a dangerous challenge… you’re coming, you’ve more or less left the ground, most of your body has left the ground and you’re showing six studs to the ball or the opposition… if that doesn’t constitute a foul, I give up. He didn’t touch him because he jumped out the way.
Jamie Rednapp then interjected, saying he thought the goalkeeper had dived, but Jermain Defoe said: "I don’t think he dived. He has to move out of the way. He knows he has to go to the right because Ramsdale is going to come. His studs are up."
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith also gave his take. "I think he could have skipped over that challenge," he said.
Redknapp, watching again, added: "I will say it’s a ridiculous challenge coming out like that, but he doesn’t touch him and goes over and he dives, so that’s why he was booked."
Smith then said: "Ramsdale has had a brilliant season, let’s get it right. But sometimes he gets himself overly pumped up I think. He got away with it there. He was committed to it and he got away with it."
Souness then had the last word. "Does it really matter about the contact?," he asked. "What about the intent? It’s a yellow card anywhere on the pitch."
If deemed a dangerous challenge endangering the safety of an opponent under the rules of the game, the challenge could even have earned a red card.
As it was, it went unpunished and three minutes later, Arsenal scored the winner to go back into fourth place.
