Nicolo Zaniolo grabs point for Aston Villa as VAR denies West Ham at the last
John Brewin at the London Stadium
Date published Sun 17 Mar 2024 21.12 GMT

After Tottenham's pain, only a slight gain for Aston Villa. Though perhaps a draw and a three-point advantage over their fellow Champions League chasers will eventually prove enough when a first defeat in London under Unai Emery had beckoned.

Following Spurs' capitulation at Fulham, Nicoḷ Zaniolo crashed home Villa's equaliser from Moussa Diaby's cross. Emery's in-game management rescuing a point and, at the final whistle, the overriding emotion was relief for Villa and rage from the home fans at the final twist in the tale. Within injury time, it took five minutes and 37 seconds of VAR deliberation - the longest yet in the Premier League - in consultation with Jarred Gillett, the referee, to rule out a late winner from Tomas Soucek for a handball.

"It's better to win but we draw and we have to accept it," said Emery. "We changed tactics in the second half and we got chances to score a goal and in the end we did score."

West Ham, denied two goals by technology ruling handball, could be far more frustrated. "The referee decided it was handball," said Emery. David Moyes accepted the decision but only in passive-aggressive fashion. "You can contact Howard [Webb] yourself," he said, arms folded. "If VAR think it's right, then it's right. I think football people see these things differently."

The result only added to West Ham's current existential wrangling. There is a considerable constituency of West Ham fans who would like their club to be managed by a more risk taking, progressive manager. So much for stability, a European trophy and this season's Europa League run. That Villa, poor until Emery made his changes, were there for the taking will only add to the doubters' case file.

"We done a job on them in the first half," said Moyes. "Their substitutions altered it." That Moyes' team play percentage-game football rather than that employed by the game's hipper protagonists, also counts against him. He rather enjoys putting one over on such types, but his team could not mirror defeats of Brighton, Tottenham and Arsenal by denying Emery, despite Villa's obvious fatigue. Goalscorer Michail Antonio backed up by Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus was an uncharacteristically adventurous starting selection but Villa's momentum eventually reverted West Ham back to a more conservative approach.

Perhaps that initial selection smelled Villa blood. Ollie Watkins, chasing an England place in the event of Harry Kane's injury, was risked despite a gashed knee while Morgan Rogers, 21, was making his first start. Jhon Duran, 20, was also making a first league start of the season. He lasted just the first half. Without John McGinn, banned for his mid-air surgery on Tottenham's Destiny Udogie, Villa lacked drive.

Vladimir Coufal, getting in the spirit of that attacking lineup by bombing on from full-back, supplied Antonio's goal, a low cross demanding a diving header, a speciality for the striker. Antonio angled the ball where Emiliano Martínez could not reach for a first goal since August.

Matty Cash and Diaby's half-time arrivals were Emery's successful attempt to inject energy, the former's arrival shunting Ezri Konsa back into central defence. Konsa was soon an important figure in the melee that seemed to have brought Antonio a second goal, only for VAR to rule the striker's arm had made a crucial touch.

Daily Mail: MATCH FACTS
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola 7, Coufal 7, Mavropanos 6.5, Zouma 6.5 , Emerson 6 (Cresswell 84), Alvarez 6.5, Soucek 7.5, Bowen 7, Paqueta 6.5 (Ward-Prowse 84), Kudus 6.5, Antonio 7 (Johnson 66, 6)
Unused subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Phillips, Ings, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Earthy
Booked: Mavropanos, Alvarez, Kudus
Goal: Antonio 30'
Manager: David Moyes 6
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Martinez 7, Konsa 6, Lenglet 5 (Cash 45, 7) Torres 6, Moreno 6 (Digne 63, 6), Bailey 7, Tielemens 6.5, Luiz 6.5, Rogers 6.5 (Zaniolo 63, 7), Duran 5 (Diaby 45, 7), Watkins 6.5
Unused subs: Carlos, Chambers, Olsen, Kesler-Hayden, Iroegbunam
Booked: Tielemans, Zaniolo, Diaby
Goal: Zaniolo 79
Manager: Unai Emery
Referee: Jarred Gillett 5
Attendance: 62,461
Read full Daily Mail report: