David Moyes expressed his frustration at West Ham's run of bad luck with referees, especially after enduring the Premier League's longest-ever VAR check.
The Hammers had a last-minute goal against Aston Villa disallowed by VAR, leading Moyes to confront referee Jarred Gillett after the game. This was the fourth handball decision that went against West Ham in just ten days.
The injury-time VAR check lasted a staggering five minutes and 37 seconds, breaking the previous record of five minutes set last season.
Referee Gillett and VAR Tony Harrington ruled that Tomas Soucek had intentionally handled the ball before Jarrod Bowen scored. If it had been deemed accidental, the goal would have stood.
In the game against Villa, West Ham had two goals disallowed for handballs after VAR checks, and there was controversy over a penalty not awarded for handball against Sander Berge in the previous match. These incidents have added to West Ham's frustrations with refereeing decisions.
Quoted by The Sun, Moyes said: "We think they are goals but VAR are the ones who decide, not us Burnley last week, Freiburg last week, two today. Every one of them has gone against us on handball situations so it’s hard to take."
"You’ve got VAR so if VAR thinks it’s right they’ve got a chance to look at things so they must be right. Football people see things differently. Maybe that’s where I see some of them differently."
"Undoubtedly you might think that some of them hit people’s arms and it does and if that’s the rule we have to go with the rule. But we had two that hit people’s arms last week, not one of them went our way. Not one of them."
Latest news
