Credit: Imago

Mark Smith

Sun 22 March 2026 15:08, UK

The Premier League have shared why Aston Villa’s first-half penalty was overturned after VAR review against West Ham United on Sunday.

Paul Tierney pointed to the spot after Konstantinos Mavropanos challenged Ollie Watkins, despite initially playing advantage to the home side.

VAR quickly intervened, with Villa Park not exactly sure what was happening for a few minutes.

Aston Villa were already ahead thanks to John McGinn’s wonderful finish, as they dominated the relegation-threatened West Ham.

With the break arriving, Nuno Espirito Santo will be desperate for an important fightback in the latest Premier League battle.

Premier League react to Aston Villa penalty controversy

VAR stepped in very quickly to recommend a review of the decision within seconds, and only a couple of replays were needed.

Tierney then announced that Mavropanos had won the ball clearly, which was somehow missed before ironic cheers from the travelling support.

Sharing on X after the incident, the Premier League moved quickly to clear up any confusion around the incident at Villa Park.

“After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of penalty to Aston Villa,” they wrote.

“Referee announcement: After review, West Ham 15 clearly plays the ball. Final decision is drop ball to the goalkeeper.”

How does Premier League relegation battle look right now?

At halftime in both Sunday games, everything was changing.

West Ham are one goal behind at Villa Park, but Nottingham Forest scored late in the half to go one-nil ahead away at Tottenham Hotspur.

That is a huge goal in the relegation battle, as it places Spurs just one spot and one point above the Irons in the live Premier League table.

If Nuno needs more motivation for a dramatic team talk after that poor first half, showing them the current score in North London should help.

Mavropanos has once again been everywhere with huge tackles and blocks, and it looks as though a few of his teammates need that motivation.

Freddie Potts has struggled in midfield, and the likes of Taty Castellanos and Pablo in the final third aren’t replacing the missing impact of Crysencio Summerville.

There is still plenty of time left, and West Ham are more than in the game; it’s time to make Villa pay for those missed chances.