Fulham faced West Ham United on Sunday, and the match started very well for Andreas Pereira, as he fired Marco Silva’s side ahead.
Unfortunately for the former Manchester United player, less than half an hour later the referee decided he’d fouled in the penalty area and the Hammers were able to equalise, going on to win the match 3-2.
Pereira was given the task of marking Craig Dawson from a corner and was judged to have impeded him, a decision he absolutely does not agree with.
Speaking to the Brazilian media after the match, he made his feelings clear.
Yahoo Esportes quote the midfielder as saying: “He [referee] told me not to pull, not to have contact with [the opponent’s] shirt, and I said I was just getting in front of him, blocking, I wasn’t doing anything too much. The first time, he ran into me, and I didn’t say anything, I didn’t complain. In the second, and in the third, he sought contact and I stood firm, and he decided to give the penalty. If a guy is 90kg, I’m 70kg, he’ll run into me and fall to the ground like a girl… It’s hard to talk.”
The Fulham player believes that even the Italian knew the goal shouldn’t have been allowed to stand, saying: “The second goal he didn’t even celebrate, because he knows it hit his hand. Afterwards, the replay was shown on the screen, everyone saw that it was his hand, it was very difficult.
“It felt like we were climbing a mountain. It was difficult for us in the second half, we couldn’t play well anymore, and they found the other goal. There are days that feel like nights.”
Despite the disappointment, Fulham have had a reasonably good start to the season and find themselves in ninth position. Andreas Pereira finished off his chat by insisting the club’s only objective this season is to stay in the Premier League, and they’ll be taking each game as it comes.
