West Ham United 1-1 Aston Villa (17 Mar, 2024) Game Analysis،
West Ham were denied a dramatic stoppage-time win after Aston Villa came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw in a fiery Premier League clash on Sunday.
Michail Antonio's low header, his first goal since August, gave the hosts the lead after 29 minutes. West Ham put the ball in the net twice through Mohammed Kudus and Antonio either side of half-time, but neither goal was counted.
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Villa, who felt they should have had a handball penalty before West Ham's opener, equalized in the 79th minute when Nicolò Zaniolo pushed over substitute Moussa Diaby after a period of sustained pressure.
The visitors, looking to regain the lead in a battle with Tottenham Hotspur for fourth place, were unable to muster a winner and West Ham looked more likely to take all three points.
James Ward-Prowse was denied by Matty Cash's fantastic block before the midfielder's late free-kick was slotted in to spark wild celebrations at the London Stadium.
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But a lengthy VAR check revealed the ball had hit Tomás Soucek's arm before crossing the line, leaving the home fans frustrated and both teams with a point.
West Ham boss David Moyes refused to answer questions after the match regarding VAR, which had earlier scored what would have been a second goal for Antonio.
“I have nothing to say about VAR decisions, you can contact Howard yourself,” Moyes told reporters, referring to the head of the PGMOL refereeing body, Howard Webb.
Moyes added that VAR decisions had gone against West Ham in recent matches against Burnley and German side Freiburg in the Europa League, which he said was “difficult to take”.
Villa director Unai Emery, however, said the decision to exclude the West Ham winner was “absolutely right”.
He told reporters that a point was a good result for Villa, although his side missed an opportunity to extend their advantage over their direct rivals for the top four.
Villa remain fourth on 56 points, three points above fifth-placed Spurs, having played a game more. West Ham are seventh on 44, three points behind sixth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
