Keith Hackett has claimed that Derby County should not have received a penalty in their 3-2 loss to Coventry on Good Friday.

Ben Brereton Diaz appeared to be taken out by goalkeeper Carl Rushworth late in the Championship match, prompting referee Tom Nield to give a penalty.

However, replays revealed that the goalkeeper did get a hand on the ball and made the save.

After seeing the tape, Hackett insisted that the officials made the incorrect mistake, but he feels that VAR should remain out of the Championship.

Football Insider has investigated the event that cost Coventry three points in the promotion battle.

Keith Hackett: Premier League blunders suggest VAR should not be in the Championship.

The penalty against Coventry nearly cost Frank Lampard’s team two points.

Coming in the 77th minute, if not for a late Jack Rudoni strike, it could have been a costly tie for the Midlands club.

Match stats: Coventry City vs Derby County. Possession: 50.6%, 49.4%.
Shots: 13 7
Shots on target: 7 (3) Corners: 6 (2) xG: 1.57 – 2.27
The match between Coventry and Derby was close.
As a result, calls for VAR to be included in the Championship have grown stronger, with the incident being an obvious error missed by the referees that could have been avoided if they had access to replays.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett acknowledged that the decision to award a penalty was incorrect, but he stressed that VAR should not be used in the second tier.

“I watched the game live and was shocked that the referee, from what appeared to be an ideal viewing angle, gave a penalty kick.

“Replays not shown to referee Tom Nield showed the goalie palming the ball away before the striker attempted evasive action.

“It was the wrong decision, and it will boost calls for the implementation of VAR in the Championship.

“However, I do not support that change given the large number of errors that VAR is producing in the Premier League.”

Do Derby still have a chance at promotion this season?

Derby’s setback has dropped them four points behind the playoffs in eighth place with six matches remaining.

They could fall much further behind the top six if Southampton wins their game in hand.

As a result, on April 4, Opta feels Derby has little chance of finishing in the top six.

Their present prospects are assessed at 8%, whereas Southampton’s and Wrexham’s odds are substantially greater, at 72.04 percent and 42.34 percent.