‎“I was amazed”—Keith Hackett reacts to major penalty controversy in Coventry City vs Derby County clash ‎

Keith Hackett has argued that Derby County were wrongly awarded a penalty during their 3-2 defeat to Coventry City on Good Friday.

The incident occurred late in the Championship encounter when Ben Brereton Díaz went through on goal and went down following a challenge from goalkeeper Carl Rushworth. Referee Tom Nield pointed to the spot, but replays indicated that Rushworth had made contact with the ball first.

After reviewing the footage, Hackett maintained that the decision was incorrect, stressing that the officials had made a clear error. Despite this, he reiterated his opposition to introducing VAR in the Championship, citing ongoing issues with its implementation in the Premier League.

The penalty, awarded in the 77th minute, nearly proved costly for Frank Lampard’s Coventry side, who were at risk of dropping points before a late winner from Jack Rudoni secured victory.

Match statistics reflected a closely contested game, with Coventry narrowly edging possession (50.6% to 49.4%), while Derby registered more expected goals (2.27 to 1.57) despite having fewer shots and efforts on target.

The controversy has reignited debate around the introduction of VAR in the second tier, with many arguing that such errors could be avoided.

However, Hackett insisted that the volume of mistakes currently associated with VAR at top-flight level demonstrates that it is not yet suitable for the Championship.

The result leaves Derby four points adrift of the play-off places in eighth position with six matches remaining. According to projections, their chances of breaking into the top six are slim, currently estimated at around eight per cent, with rivals such as Southampton and Wrexham considered far more likely to secure a play-off spot.