Aston Villa avoided back-to-back Premier League defeats after a hard-fought draw against West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
Nicolò Zaniolo’s second-half goal saw Unai Emery’s side salvage a point in a game that wasn’t short of controversy.
The Hammers saw a late Tomas Soucek goal ruled out for handball, a decision that former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg felt was correct.
In his column for the Daily Mail, he wrote, “Both VAR decisions at West Ham were correct because the ball touched the arm before going in the goal.”
“The first decision — for Michail Antonio’s handball — was really difficult without a conclusive angle. The second one at the end, involving Tomas Soucek, should have been easier for the VAR to quickly rule out.”
Outspoken BeINSports presenter Richard Keys has since commented on the VAR drama and branded the situation “madness”.
Richard Keys reacts to Aston Villa’ madness’ v West Ham United
In his weekly blog, Keys said: “And I can’t imagine how David Moyes is feeling this morning. One big handball decision after another has gone against his team in their last few games. The last of them took a record 5 minutes 37 seconds to sort out.” He added: “What sort of madness is this? It took over 4 mins to allow Coventry’s first at Wolves.
“This can’t go on. If it takes more than 30 seconds to make a VAR decision – forget it. Go with the onfield decision. It’s ridiculous to make us all wait any longer. It’s discourteous and arrogant in equal measure by VAR operators.”
A game full of controversy
Villa’s trip to the London Stadium was certainly full of drama. The home side were a constant threat, particularly from wider areas, with Michail Antonio rolling back the years with a dominant performance at the top end of the pitch.
For Emery and Villa, the best outcome is to take the point and move on. Tottenham’s defeat to Fulham means the Champions League race is still wide open. There will be plenty of twists and turns between now and the end of the season, and this point could turn out vital come the end of the campaign.
Villa will be looking to get back to winning ways when they face Wolves at Villa Park on March 30.
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