West Ham Denied Goal in 2-0 Defeat at Brentford
West Ham United manager David Moyes has expressed his frustration over what he describes as a series of questionable VAR decisions that have negatively impacted his team. In their recent 2-0 defeat to Brentford, the Hammers had a potential goal controversially ruled out due to an alleged handball by Divin Mubama in the build-up.
The incident occurred when Said Benrahma’s cross rebounded off the post and struck Mubama, who had raised his hand to avoid colliding with the woodwork. Following this, Manuel Lanzini retrieved the ball and set up Danny Ings for a tap-in that would have reduced the deficit to 2-1. However, referee Michael Oliver reviewed the play on the pitchside monitor and ruled that Mubama had handled the ball.
Moyes remarked, “Very strange. The Premier League have come out and called it deliberate handball. I think we need a bit of explanation on that. The first thing I would say about it is it is inconclusive. If anything, I think it hits his shoulder, right on his collarbone. If it’s a handball that leads to a goal we all know that rule, but I certainly don’t see deliberate. He might be protecting himself from going into the post. I’m amazed it was chalked off.”
He continued, “Let’s be fair, if this was the first incident we were discussing in recent games, I would say it can happen, but we’re now talking about three of these decisions. It’s getting regular. I don’t want to get in trouble, but we’ve had three real ones that could have altered things, and if you said we’ve had our fair share, I’m saying I don’t think we have.”
Despite Moyes’ grievances, Brentford could have extended their lead further, having already scored through Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa in the first half. Moyes made nine changes to his lineup ahead of Thursday’s Europa Conference League semi-final second leg against AZ Alkmaar, indicating his priorities lie beyond the immediate league concerns.
Reflecting on the match, Moyes said, “I didn’t enjoy the performance. I thought we were soft, easy to play against. It was so poor. We did some work on defending long throws, but you wouldn’t have thought it watching that today. I’m so disappointed the players didn’t deal with it.”
With this victory, Brentford has secured a top-10 finish, dispelling any notions of a “second-season syndrome” as they continue to impress in the Premier League.
