Former Premier League official Keith Hackett believes that Sunderland should've been awarded a penalty for a handball by Jason Pearce in their defeat to Charlton Athletic this weekend.

Lee Johnson's side were beaten 1-0 by the Londoners, and the Black Cats chief was not at all happy with several key decisions from Darren Drysdale, one of which was his failure to award a penalty.

And, speaking to Football Insider, Hackett explained why the Wearside outfit were right to feel aggrieved.

"He has extended his arm. They’re very unfortunate not to get a penalty, I think that was a penalty. He’s got his left arm extended, he has made his body shape bigger. The ball has struck it, he’s handled it deliberately. Penalty.

"The referee’s positioning is at fault here. He’s allowed too many players to block his view here. He needed to come left and open up his vision. He’s not in a position to judge that, he’s missed it. Poor piece of refereeing."

A goal from Jayden Stockley would ultimately settle the game, ensuring Johnny Jackson picked up three points in his first game as caretaker.

The verdict

Johnson was furious after the game and whilst he was way off with some of his complaints, he did have a point about the penalty.

As Hackett has stated, there was enough to give a penalty because of the way Pearce's arm was extended and it appears Drysdale hadn't put himself in a position to get the best view of the incident.

That's not going to help Sunderland now though, so they just have to focus on the next one as they look to get back to winning ways.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.