West Ham beat Bournemouth 2-0 at the London Stadium yesterday, but it was VAR that stole the headlines once again.
David Moyes made 1 change to the starting eleven that narrowly lost 1-0 at Anfield last Wednesday, as Said Benrahma finally got his start in the Premier League, replacing Pablo Fornals.
It was a slow start from both sides, with very few chances for either team in the first half. Aaron Cresswell came close to opening the scoring after 20 minutes, but his powerful effort was tipped over the bar by Neto.
The Hammers eventually took the lead just before half time, as Kurt Zouma headed into the bottom left corner following a scramble in the box.
VAR once again intervened, with the ball appearing to strike Thilo Kehrers arm in the buildup, but the goal was given, despite the Bournemouth players' complaints.
At the start of the second half, Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil was forced to take off goalkeeper Neto due to injury. Striker Dominic Solanke was also substituted because of an injury in the latter stages of the first half.
10 minutes into the second half, VAR appeared to make another questionable decision, as Jefferson Lermas dangerous tackle on Gianluca Scamacca only saw him pick up a yellow card.
Neither goalkeeper was really troubled in the second half, but Declan Rice came close to doubling the lead on the hour mark, but his long range effort was saved by Travers.
The Hammers eventually were given the chance to make it 2-0, as substitute Jordan Zemura appeared to block Coufals cross with his arm, meaning the hosts had a penalty in stoppage time.
Said Benrahma stepped up to take the spot kick, and fired his shot into the back of the net, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Last nights 3 points means that West Ham move up into 10th place in the Premier League, the first time that they’ve been in the top half of the table this season.
When speaking to the press after the game, David Moyes said, “We did deserve our win, but what we couldn’t do was put the icing on the cake at the end”.
He added, “We couldn’t get the finishing bit, but I thought we played some really good football at different times”.
The Hammers are back in action at the London Stadium on Thursday, as they look to clinch top spot in their Conference League group against Silkeborg, before returning to Premier League action on Sunday with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
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