A disappointed West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen questioned the video assistant referee (VAR) decision that denied his side a vital point against Arsenal.
Callum Wilson looked to have snatched a draw for the hosts when he half-volleyed home in stoppage time, only for VAR Darren England and referee Chris Kavanagh to chalk the goal off after a review.
The officials ruled that there had been a foul by West Ham’s Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya as he attempted to grasp an initial delivery into the box. Pablo’s arm was across the neck of Raya, while there also appeared to be a pull on his arm.
It took time for the decision to be reached by England to send Kavanagh to the monitor, and longer still for the referee to communicate his decision and the goal to be ruled out.
And Bowen felt the length of the check indicated his team may have been hard done by, even if he understood the reasoning.
“We’re on the receiving end of it so were going to feel more hard done by,” Bowen told Sky Sports. “Football is a sport that brings enjoyment, brings fans together and gives big moments. We had our big moment then, we thought we’d got back into the game, [but you] look at something for five minutes, [you’re] trying to find something.
“Goalkeepers are protected more than outfield players – there’s lots of holding and grappling that goes on in the box. Are you going to look at those every time and give a penalty? Because that’s the only way that is the right way to do it. I get that you can’t wipe a goalkeeper out and there’s arms there but the keeper’s come out to try and grab the ball so he’s got to be seen – not as an outfield player – but he’s got to expect some contact. It’s a corner kick, it’s physical, it’s the Premier League – there’s going to be contact and tussles.
“We feel more hard done by but we had one at Brentford last week where [Tomas] Soucek got dragged down and we didn’t get a penalty. I’m saying at the consistency level – VAR is here to stay we know that – but I just think the decisions…People are going to say I sound bitter but I’m just being honest. If you look at some of the decisions for long enough you’ll find something to give and that’s what happened in the end.”
West Ham remain in the bottom three with Premier League games to come against Newcastle and Leeds. Tottenham, their relegation rivals, are a point ahead and play Leeds on Monday night.
