West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen and manager Nuno Espirito Santo have launched a scathing attack on match officials and the VAR system after a late goal was controversially disallowed in their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the 36th round of the Premier League.
The drama unfolded in the dying minutes at the London Stadium, when Callum Wilson thought he had snatched a precious equalizer for the Hammers. However, VAR official Darren England instructed referee Chris Kavanagh to review the incident, leading to the goal being ruled out for a perceived foul by striker Pablo on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya during the build-up from a corner kick.
Speaking to BBC Sport, an irate Bowen said: “When you stare at the screen for five minutes, you’ll always find something. In my opinion, it wasn’t the right call. The Premier League is physical – contact is part of the game. If you give that as a foul, then you have to give every single tug in the world.”
He added to Sky Sports: “Goalkeepers are overprotected. They have to expect some contact in the box – it’s the nature of the game.”
Bowen insisted his team felt hard done by, pointing to a similar incident in a previous match against Brentford where West Ham didn’t get a penalty. “Where is the consistency? You can’t celebrate a goal and then wait eight minutes for it to be chalked off.”
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo echoed his captain’s frustration, stating: “Even the referees don’t know what is a foul and what isn’t. That creates doubt and confuses the players. There is contact in every corner kick, but decisions differ from game to game.”
He added: “We are angry about the way the match ended. There is a referee and VAR, but the lack of consistency makes things more complicated.”
As a result of the defeat, West Ham remain in the relegation danger zone, facing an uphill battle to avoid the drop, while Arsenal took another step closer to securing the Premier League title.
