VAR decisions cost West Ham dearly as they are held by Villa

West Ham United had three goals ruled out, including what would have been a dramatic stoppage-time winner, as Aston Villa came from behind to earn a draw in a fiery Premier League clash yesterday.

Michail Antonio’s stooping header, his first goal since August, gave the hosts the lead after 29 minutes. West Ham had the ball in the net twice through Mohammed Kudus and Antonio either side of half-time, but neither goal stood.

Villa, who felt they should have had a penalty for handball before West Ham’s opener, equalised in the 79th minute when Nicolo Zaniolo poked home fellow substitute Moussa Diaby’s cut-back after a period of sustained pressure.

The visitors, seeking to regain the advantage in a battle with Tottenham Hotspur for fourth place, could not grab a winner and West Ham seemed more likely to take the three points.

James Ward-Prowse was denied by Matty Cash’s fantastic block before the England midfielder’s late free-kick was bundled in to spark wild celebrations at the London Stadium. But a lengthy VAR check found that the ball had hit Tomas Soucek’s arm before it crossed the line to leave the home fans frustrated.

West Ham remain in seventh place on 44 points, three behind sixth-placed Manchester United who have a game in hand, and manager David Moyes was left lamenting the latest VAR call to go against his side.

“We’ve had two calls this week. One against Freiburg in midweek didn’t go our way,” said David Moyes, whose team will face Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League quarter-finals next month.

“We’ve had four handballs this week that didn’t go for us. It’s what VAR do, it’s their decision not ours, we can’t do anything about it. It’s there to do the job.

“In the second half, Villa stepped it up, they were the better team for periods. I was really pleased with how we performed overall.”

Villa, who have a last-eight European clash in April when they take on Lille in the Europa Conference League, remain fourth on 56 points, three points above Spurs in fifth, having played a game more.

“We didn’t control the game in the first half,” said manager Unai Emery. “We had a plan before the match and the plan can change. The players had to be ready and focused in case we needed them like today. Zaniolo is working and he is focused.

“It’s better to win but we draw and I think it’s good and we have to accept it.”