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Football London
Football London
Sport
Joe Doyle

'VAR is the death of football' - West Ham fans fume after Michail Antonio goal is ruled out

West Ham fans were twice left angry during the Premier League clash against Southampton.

Tensions were high ahead of the game, with the Hammers hopeful of picking up three points and putting some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

They faced a Southampton side in 18th place in the table, just one point behind Manuel Pellegrini's side ahead of kick-off.

With 27 minutes gone, Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller both went down in the box after Aaron Cresswell put a decent cross into the penalty area.

However, no spot kick was given after a Video Assistant Referee check, with Antonio in particular furious about the decision.

The fury did not last long, however, with Haller scoring 10 minutes later, firing in off the post for just his second goal since August.

How VAR will work in the Premier League

And after half-time, Antonio looked to have given the Hammers a two-goal lead, taking a long ball in his stride before bundling past a challenge and firing in low past Alex McCarthy.

However, Antonio's effort was ruled out by the VAR for handball, with the ball striking his arm in the build up to the goal.

It seemed like nothing could be done about the error, with Jan Bednarek kicking the ball into the attacker.

But with the new handball rule deeming that any touch of the arm in the build up to the goal will mean the effort is disallowed, Hammers fans were left fuming.

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