West Ham United: Howard Webb and Michael Owen agree over ‘complicated’ Aston Villa controversy
West Ham United ace Tomas Soucek definitely handled the ball for his late goal in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
That is according to PGMOL chief Howard Webb and Sky Sports pundit Michael Owen, with the midfielder having had a last-minute goal disallowed at the London Stadium.
The two clubs played out the stalemate on Sunday (17 March), with Michail Antonio and Nicolo Zaniolo scoring for the home and away sides respectively.
“It was quite a complicated sequence, with quite a lot going on,” said Webb, as per Sky Sports (19 March).
Discussing Soucek, Owen then noted: “I think it’s a certain handball,” with Webb concurring: “It is, he turns his body, his arm into it, to knock it forward.”
West Ham rage at disallowed goal versus Aston Villa
It certainly was a dramatic end to the game in East London, with Hammers ace Soucek convinced that he had won it for his side.
But a very, very lengthy VAR check ruled out the goal, with the ball hitting the midfielder’s arm on its way into the back of the net.
Hammers manager David Moyes was furious with the decision, as were the majority of fans inside the London Stadium, who thought their side had clinched a dramatic winner.
With the ball having hit Soucek’s arm, it was the right decision to rule the goal out, but the officials certainly need to speed up the process when it comes to VAR.
Antonio also had a goal disallowed against Unai Emery’s men, but the Jamaican international did find the back of the net legally with a fine first-half header.
Villa loanee Zaniolo then levelled the match with just over 10 minutes remaining, with both clubs set to be satisfied with a point.
In other West Ham news, journalist Ben Jacobs has issued a transfer stance on one London Stadium-linked attacker.
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