by David Moyes says Premier League managers are now shrugging their shoulders and accepting refereeing standards after key decisions cost his West Ham side a thrilling stoppage time at Bramall Lane.
Moyes’ anger was palpable on the front line when Michael Salisbury awarded a penalty despite goalkeeper Alphonse Areola being startled, covered and needing to be substituted after jumping for the ball with Oli McBurnie, who scored from the spot after a long delay . His 103rd minute goal was the latest in Premier League history.
The late drama, with red cards for each team, didn’t stop there. Moyes and his bench were on their feet claiming a penalty of their own when Anel Ahmedhodzic was held down by Jarrod Bowen in the area.
“It looked like the Six Nations,” said former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, working as a draftsman. “That’s a rugby tackle.”
Moyes, who described his side’s performance as one of the worst of his time at the club, chose to be more diplomatic with each flashpoint but it was clear how he felt. Did he foul his goalkeeper for the equaliser? “Absolutely, it was completely dirty,” he said. “I brought in our players because I thought it would be better to put in someone who wasn’t dazed.”
Asked about the referee’s decisions, Moyes said “I don’t want that to happen”, but added: “We’ve reached the point now where we’re settling for an executive level, where we’re all pressing our shoulders and saying ‘okay’. My shoulders are shrugging again, we don’t know what they’re going to do.”
There was no sign of such an exciting finish to this game in a game that lacked quality but looked set to go the Londoners’ way.
They took the lead when Maxwel Cornet scored his first goal for the club 18 months after joining from Burnley. It was his first Premier League start of the season and he volleyed home at the far post after Jack Robinson had cut down Danny Ings’ shot.
United’s first equalizer came from Ben Brereton Diaz scoring on his Premier League debut. On loan from Villarreal for the rest of the season, the Chile international has long waited for his chance in the top flight, after clubs eyed him while at Blackburn in the Championship.
He started on the left and his goal came after Areola saved Will Osula’s header and he was quickest to react, pinching the ball from James Ward-Prowse and finishing from close range. In the second half, he ran through at the back and should have added a second but dragged his finish wide.
“It was a great run and he’s disappointed not to have a second,” manager Chris Wilder said. “He was down to play for 55 minutes from a conditioning point and he also got a win before half-time and played over that. I’m sure he’ll take chances like that and score those goals and help in the second half of the season.”
Ward-Prowse looked to have edged West Ham closer to the Champions League places with his late penalty. Ings scored again, this time turning Robinson and Gus Hamer bringing it down. As the fourth official, Darren Bond, stood for six minutes of added time, the incident sparked the last part of the game, which lasted 15 minutes.
First, Rhian Brewster was ejected for a wild tackle on Emerson Palmieri. Initially shown a yellow, Salisbury was told to go to his pitchside monitor and then changed his mind after watching replays. “I’ll see it one way and other people will see it another way. We had one 10 times worse against Brentford on Vini Souza,” said Wilder.
Vladimir Coufal was cautioned for dissent in that incident and then received a second yellow card for a foul on James McAtee shortly afterwards. “He was involved in something he shouldn’t have been,” was Moyes’ judgement.
And then came the equaliser, with McBurnie and Areola jumping for the ball and Salisbury being awarded a penalty. McAtee kept the ball on the penalty spot while Areola received treatment, a tactic to prevent the West Ham players from playing mind games with McBurnie, who was preparing himself to take the spot-kick.
“The keeper was going to be down for a long time and we realized psychologically there were a lot of people in that area,” Wilder said. “They were smart between them. Oli still needs to stick it. I didn’t see it, I just saw the reaction of the crowd.”
There was still time for Bowen’s penalty shout but that one was denied by Salisbury, to the anger of the West Ham fans. Wilder’s side are still bottom with 10 points, a position worse than West Brom when they made their spectacular escape in 2005. They have conceded 50 goals in the quickest time since Barnsley in 1997- 98 but the point gives them hope.
“There has to be a fighting spirit. It’s a ruthless, unrelenting league that kills you if you show the white flag,” Wilder said.
