You’d forgive David Moyes for feeling a little weary of the handball law.
Two goals ruled out against Aston Villa, two penalties not awarded against Burnley and Freiburg last week.
It took more than five minutes, the longest VAR check in Premier League history, for officials to decide whether the ball had hit Tomas Soucek’s arm before bouncing off Jarrod Bowen and into the net for this who looked to be a late winner for West Ham.
Players from both teams and referee Jarred Gillett waited on the pitch while VAR manager Tony Harrington examined several angles of the incident. Gillett was then sent to review the footage on the field-side monitor. In the end, no goal was his decision.
It had taken almost as long for VAR to disallow Michail Antonio’s goal earlier in the second half, also for handball.
It took referee Jarred Gillett more than five minutes to rule out Tomas Soucek’s goal for handball.
You’d forgive West Ham boss David Moyes for feeling a little sick of the handball law.
Nicolo Zaniolo headed the ball home after 79 minutes to salvage a point for Aston Villa
Moyes took to the pitch at full time to confront officials but said he would not speak to PGMOL chief Howard Webb.
“They didn’t attack us, there’s not much we can do,” Moyes said.
“Burnley last week, Freiburg last week, two today. Each of them showed up against us in handball situations so it’s difficult to take.
“That’s what VAR does, it’s their decision, not ours, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
A match that had been a tale of two European hangovers, Aston Villa in the first half, West Ham in the second, somehow stretching over 103 minutes.
Antonio’s diving header, his first goal since August, had given West Ham a deserved lead at the break. But Villa appeared to find a cure for their fatigue in the second half when substitute Nicolo Zaniolo scored an important equalizer 11 minutes from time.
“We changed tactics in the second half and we had chances to score a goal,” Villa boss Emery said. “We deserve the second half more than the first half.”
Villa’s defeat here following their 4-0 loss to Tottenham last week would have put a damper on their top four hopes, although West Ham had done them a favor in midweek by putting the English clubs on course for a fifth place finish. in the Champions League.
Thanks to the new format, two performance places are up for grabs, these being determined by the two countries with the best averages in all European competitions this season.
England were in third place, behind Italy and Germany, before the Hammers’ victory propelled them into second place.
Michail Antonio deservedly gave the hosts the lead with a diving header before the half-hour mark.
It was the striker’s first goal since August in a season marred by numerous injuries.
Antonio thought he had scored his and West Ham’s second goal after half-time before VAR intervened.
It also means that if the FA Cup winners finish in the top seven, the eighth team will take the place in the Europa Conference League.
Villa were fourth entering the game and had been boosted by Spurs’ 3-0 defeat at Fulham a day earlier. But that didn’t seem to do much to bring them to life in the early stages.
Neither team could really get a foothold in the opening 20 minutes, but West Ham began to gain the upper hand midway through the first half. Soucek’s attempt to deflect Lucas Paqueta’s shot past Emi Martinez almost paid off, but narrowly rebounded. Martinez then made a good save to repel Vladimir Coufal’s deflected shot.
But Martinez could do nothing about Antonio’s goal on the half-hour mark. Coufal found space on the right and whipped a delicious cross between Villa’s central defenders. Antonio lunged forward, connecting powerfully and guiding the ball into the bottom right corner.
Mohammed Kudus had the ball in the net before halftime after shooting from a corner, but the referee’s whistle had already blown for a foul on Martinez.
It was the first in a long series of decisions that would go against Moyes’ camp. The second came when Antonio thought he had scored his second just after halftime. Bowen’s corner was headed by Soucek and hit Antonio before rebounding into the net. It was difficult to see on replays, but VAR ruled that the ball had hit Antonio’s hand and the goal was disallowed.
From there, Villa improved. Youri Tielemans forced Alphonse Areola into a routine long-range save, but the goalkeeper made a better save to deny Ezri Konsa from inside the area.
Aston Villa escape after two West Ham goals ruled out due to handball by officials
Moyes confronted full-time officials but won’t speak to PGMOL chief Howard Webb
Villa had continued to pile on the pressure and the home crowd probably sensed an equalizer was coming. It arrived in the 79th minute when Moussa Diaby drove down the right and sent in a cross that was met by Zaniolo, who sent the ball between Areola’s legs and into the net.
The momentum should have been with Villa, but it was West Ham who came closest to finding a winner. A breakaway saw Kudus restart James Ward-Prowse, but his shot was superbly blocked by Matty Cash.
It looked like the Hammers had secured that late winner when a combination of Bowen and Soucek managed to force the ball over the line after Konstantinos Mavropanos sent a header towards goal. Villa immediately appealed for handball and five minutes later referee Gillett came to the conclusion that they were right.