Neil Warnock Claims Referee Simon Hooper 'Admitted' Penalty Mistake in Watford Thrashing

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock claims that referee Simon Hooper admitted he had made a mistake at a crucial point in the match following their 5-1 defeat at

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock claims that referee Simon Hooper admitted he had made a mistake at a crucial point in the match following their 5-1 defeat at the hands of Watford on Friday.

A hat-trick from Gerard Deulofeu and two from Troy Deeney ensured the Hornets registered all three points during their trip to South Wales, with Sol Bamba's late strike proving to be nothing more than a late consolation goal for Cardiff.

Watford went into half time with a one-goal advantage, but they could have been pegged back and Cardiff City boss Warnock says that the referee has admitted he made the wrong decision when choosing to wave away a penalty shout just before the break.

"He said he's seen it back on video and he's made a mistake," Warnock said, quoted by Sky Sports. "What do you say to that? It doesn't help me when you get battered five.

Stu Forster/GettyImages

"VAR would have solved that in 30 seconds, everybody on the pitch knew it was a penalty.

"Troy [Deeney] said it was a nailed-on penalty, so too [Adrian] Mariappa and all their staff on the touchline. I like Simon as a referee and he's not done it on purpose, he's upset himself about the situation."

Deulofeu's hat-trick against Cardiff City has made him the third Premier League player to ever score three in a league game on a Friday. Dean Windass was the first player to ever do so against Derby County in 2000, while Thierry Henry did it twice in 2004.

26 - Watford's 4th goal against Cardiff City (scored by Troy Deeney) ended a sequence of 26 uninterrupted passes; the longest sequence leading to a goal scored by a non "big six" team in the competition since September 2014. Brazil. #watfordfc pic.twitter.com/ESA20OpMGR

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 23, 2019

Cardiff City will now prepare to face Everton in midweek before travelling to fellow promoted side Wolves, where Nuno Espírito Santo will be looking to strengthen their push to finish as 'the best of the rest' in seventh place.