VAR punishes West Ham with 'joke' call as pressure mounts on manager with relegation looming
West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek did not hold back from taking aim at the use of VAR after a "joke" call went against his side and sent Nottingham Forest home with the win.
In a match that could have shaken up the Premier League relegation zone, it was Morgan Gibbs-White who saved the day for Forest, slotting a late penalty to snatch 2-1 victory at the London Stadium.
The goal came with just one minute of regular time left on the clock, after West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola ran into Gibbs-White while trying to catch the ball in the box.
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It took a nervous VAR referee by Tony Harrington to award a penalty kick for the incident, much to the discontent of Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen and Areola.
Gibbs-White converted the penalty with ease and ensure Forest held onto the opportunity to lift seven points above the relegation zone at the end of the match.
Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates his goal. Getty
Nuno Espirito Santo could not hide his disappointment as Gibbs-White's shot hit the back of the net, meaning his side was now on a 10-game losing streak in the league.
And the use of VAR in that moment did not sit well with his playing group, either.
"For me it is a joke," Soucek told Sky Sports at full time.
"I just saw it again and I think we can have 20 penalties per game if it is like that.
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"I came to the Premier League because I thought it was the toughest league in the world and we are all fighters and warriors, but this looks more like basketball when you can't touch the player. This is what I saw.
"[Areola] is the same in the dressing room. He didn't know who was fouled. He came for the ball, I think I cleared it and that was already out.
"We didn't know why there was VAR and then the penalty, so it was tough for all of us."
West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo appears frustrated. PA Images via Getty Images
The moment was a dramatic turnaround from the start the Hammers had, with an own goal by Murillo putting the home side in front by half time.
Nicolas Dominguez nailed a header past Areola to level the scores in the 55th minute for Forest, shortly after West Ham were denied a goal by VAR due to an offside ruling.
Then Gibbs-White found his moment to shine and score the match winner.
It marks the first time in 42 years that Forest have defeated the Hammers in consecutive away games, with pressure only mounting on Santo to find results for his team.
But if there is one promising sign for the former Forest manager, it is that he hasn't lost the support and trust of the West Ham dressing room.
"We have to be behind the manager always, until the end," Soucek added.
West Ham United's Taty Castellanos (left), Tomas Soucek, Freddie Potts and Jean-Clair Todibo (right). PA Images via Getty Images
"I believe he can be a big help for us because he did a lot through the Premier League already.
"It's on all of us, Nuno as the manager, us as the players, the whole training ground. Especially for him I want to keep going and do the maximum, we don't want them to lose their jobs.
"All of us, even for the fans, we need to stick together."
Santo also vowed to stay on and keep lifting the team, regardless of the score.
"You know me. I'll keep on going, believing and working with the boys," he said.
"Sometimes you have good moments and bad moments but you need to be resilient enough to understand that this is the game.
"The boys kept fighting until the end. We knew how important this match was and the boys did it until the end. We had chances but it didn't go for us today."
