Nuno Espirito Santo right to seethe as ex-FIFA ref reacts to surprise West Ham footage
West Ham United conceded a late equaliser away at Brighton but Nuno Espirito Santo was adamant the goal should’ve been ruled out.
Georginio Rutter’s 91st-minute strike at the Amex Stadium denied the Hammers what would have been a vital three points on the road.
Jarrod Bowen gave West Ham the lead against Brighton on 73 minutes, sliding a finish into the bottom corner and sparking pandemonium in the away end.
Nuno’s side were unable to hang on, though, with Rutter’s late goal leaving the East London side in the Premier League relegation zone.
Brighton’s equaliser against West Ham should’ve been ruled out
There was an element of controversy around Brighton’s equaliser, and VAR spent a long time checking the build-up to the goal.
Konstantinos Mavropanos was seemingly struck in the head by Charalampos Kostoulas’ boot as the Greek forward attempted an acrobatic effort.
The ball then hit Rutter on the arm, before the former Leeds United man fired it through the legs of Alphonse Areola.
In a statement, the Premier League confirmed that Rutter did not deliberately handle the ball, but made no mention of the boot to Mavropanos’ head.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett believes that the goal should’ve been chalked off, as it was “dangerous” from Kostoulas.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Hackett said: “This goal clearly should have been disallowed. The overhead boot was too close to the head of the opponent.
“It was dangerous. I’m surprised that after the VAR review it was allowed.”
- Read More: Jonathan Pearce aghast at Konstantinos Mavropanos moment in Brighton vs West Ham – ‘Awful’
Nuno Espirito Santo left fuming at incorrect decision
Nuno was less than impressed with the final decision to allow the goal to stand, even after a VAR review.
Speaking after the game, he said: “It’s clear. It’s not that it ‘appears’ [to be a foul] – it’s clear. I saw it, everybody saw it. We cannot understand how they gave the goal.
“Everybody saw it. It’s hard to take, really hard to take.”
West Ham face Aston Villa next up in the Premier League, before travelling to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City.
Going into two incredibly difficult games, Nuno will be hoping that his side get the rub of the green regarding contentious refereeing decisions.
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