Hammers win denied by VAR

West Ham win denied by VAR

The Hammers were denied a win by VAR

We were left frustrated at the London Stadium after conceding a late equalizer and having two goals controversially ruled out by VAR in their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Hammers win denied by VAR

West Ham started the match brightly with Michail Antonio leading the attack alongside Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. Both Bowen and Lucas Paqueta had early opportunities, but an offside call and a deflection denied them the opening goal writes Michael Talbot.

The home side’s persistence paid off on the half-hour mark. Vladimir Coufal sent in a superb cross from the right, which Antonio met with a powerful header to score his first Premier League goal since August.

West Ham thought they had doubled their lead early in the second half. Antonio found the net again, but their celebrations were short-lived. A VAR review deemed there was a handball in the build-up, and the goal was chalked off.

Aston Villa applied significant pressure in the second half and eventually equalized with ten minutes remaining. Substitute Moussa Diaby raced down the flank and delivered a perfect cross for fellow substitute Nicolò Zaniolo, who slotted home the equalizer.

West Ham thought they had snatched a dramatic winner in the dying moments. James Ward-Prowse whipped in a trademark cross, and Tomas Soucek bundled the ball into the net in a goalmouth scramble. However, VAR intervened once again, disallowing the goal for a foul in the build-up.

A Point Gained, But Two Points Lost:

While West Ham secured a point, the feeling will be one of disappointment after surrendering the lead and having two goals ruled out. The controversial VAR decisions and their inability to hold onto the lead leave the Hammers with a missed opportunity to close the gap on the top six in the Premier League table.