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The good form continues for West Ham, who with Monday’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa have only four teams ahead of them in the Premier League table.
But much of the focus after the match is the VAR decision on overtime.
Ollie Watkins thought he had equalized to 2-2, but after being thoroughly checked by VAR, the goal was canceled out for offside. In the TV pictures, it seems that some of the upper arm of the Aston Villa striker was on the wrong side.
The decision causes VAR dissatisfaction to grow.
– Is it the length of the sleeves that should make the difference? Then they have to do their part to make them shorter. Watkins is kept around and tries to get loose, and this causes him to end up offside. Could it have been punishment instead? We are losing measure of this. I was a big supporter of VAR, and it was not introduced to ruin the sport, but to help. I would give it a try, and I see both good and bad things, but the majority of the people in this country are not convinced. They no longer enjoy football, says former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’ broadcast.
Carragher also points out that the spontaneous joy disappears for the players, who according to the ex-stopper are waiting to cheer until VAR has checked.
Former Manchester United player Gary Neville, who sits in the Sky Sports studio with Carragher, is also critical.
– The judges’ authority and credibility are questioned, and they doubt themselves. It’s not a problem when the judges go to the screen, but the problem is when they look at the screen and do not stick to their right decision, says Gary Neville.
– The hand rule does not make sense. The offside rule with the arm does not make sense. These must be changed, and then VAR will be easier to accept. It seems that the judges are programmed to be robots. They need to relax and use their own gut feeling. Their authority has been taken away. Fans hate it, so it’s going to change, Neville continues.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith believes VAR creates frustration for everyone, but he does not try to spend too much energy on it.
– The only reason Watkins’ arm is offside is because it is a free kick. Either he scores or it’s a penalty kick. It’s okay if it’s a red line and he’s offside, but if it’s arm because he’s being held, it’s a penalty kick, says Aston Villa manager Dean Smith.
WAS with Great Lines. The “bingo” ended offside this time. #2pl
– Morten Knutsen (@ MortenKnuts1) November 30, 2020
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Angelo Ogbonna headed in 1-0 for West Ham early in the game, before Jack Grealish equalized later in the inning. In the second half, Jarrod Bowen scored what became the winning goal in London. Watkins also abused a penalty kick.
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