Fuming West Ham captain Rice brands decision to disallow late equaliser vs Chelsea one of the worst VAR calls ever
WEST HAM captain Declan Rice slammed the referee’s decision to disallow his team’s late equaliser against Chelsea.
The Hammers lost 2-1 to their London rivals at Stamford Bridge but saw Maxwel Cornet’s late 90th-minute strike getting chalked off by match official Andy Madley after consulting with the VAR monitor.
Madley made the decision after Jarrod Bowen appeared to have collided with the Blues’ goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the build-up before Cornet converted from the loose ball.
But an infuriated Rice took to Twitter to brand the referee’s call as “one of the worst VAR decisions” ever.
The England international tweeted: “That’s up there with one of the worst VAR decisions made since it’s come into the game. Shambles.”
VAR official Jarred Gillett advised Madley to go over to the monitor and check Cornet’s equaliser.
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Replays appeared to show little contact between Bowen and Mendy but after the Chelsea keeper stayed down, the play was brought back.
West Ham boss David Moyes was seen confronting Madley on the pitch and according to talkSPORT, the Scottish tactician carried on the row in the referee’s room.
Moyes said after the game: “You have seen it, it is a scandalous decision, absolutely rotten from one of the supposedly elite referees – it doesn’t say much about whoever sent him over from VAR as well – it is an unbelievable decision against us.
“We feel we got back to 2-2 and it was not down to anything we have done.
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“I support a lot of the VAR stuff, I actually think the goalkeeper dives, he is faking an injury because he cannot get to the next one – he did the same on the first goal as well.
“The referee somehow gets that so wrong it is incredible.”