Hackett has now echoed the calls of the home crowd, insisting Alvarez should have been dismissed, and acknowledged the referee had made a mistake.

However, VAR could not play a part in the decision as the rules do not permit them to intervene in the choice not to award a yellow card.

“Alvarez was very fortunate not to receive a second yellow card,” he told

“Referee Peter Bankes, from a good position, decided to keep his cards in his pocket.

“It was a foul and I can only assume that the referee was of the opinion it had some element of doubt about stopping a promising attack.

“It was the referees call and of course the VAR under the criteria cannot come in on a yellow card offence.

“Alvarez in my opinion should have seen red.”

In other news, West Ham well-placed to secure late-January loan move.

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The post Hackett: West Ham star 'very fortunate' to avoid red card v Aston Villa appeared first on Football Insider.