THE NOTEBOOK: VAR makes Nayef Aguerd wait for his goal in West Ham win
THE NOTEBOOK: VAR makes Nayef Aguerd wait for his goal, David Moyes inspires once again, and Theo Walcott can’t find the net… as West Ham claim crucial win against Southampton
- Nayef Aguerd inspired West Ham to a 1-0 win against Southampton on Sunday
- VAR made him wait for his goal for some time though after he looked offside
- The result puts West Ham one point clear of the relegation zone in 14th place
Nayef Aguerd had to wait some time before his goal was given, but it proved pivotal helping West Ham defeat Southampton 1-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The defender rose to meet an in swinging free-kick to give West Ham the lead in the first-half, heading past Gavin Bazunu in net to give David Moyes’ side the lead.
VAR was called into action though as it looked as if he may have been offside, but after a long delay, the goal stood and would eventually be the only goal in what was a crucial win for the Hammers.
The result West Ham a narrow one-point buffer on the relegation zone, but was a tough blow for the Saints, who stay rock bottom of the league standings.
Sportsmail’s Adrian Kajumba was on hand to point out the things you might have missed from West Ham’s win against Southampton.
West Ham claimed a crucial 1-0 win against Southampton at the London Stadium on Sunday
Nayef Aguerd was kept waiting by VAR for an offside check after scoring the only goal
David Moyes (left) inspired his side to another win to keep them out of the relegation zone
VAR keeps West Ham waiting
From the longest celebration for a ruled out goal to what felt like the longest wait for it to then be given.
West Ham’s players took so long to discover Nayef Aguerd’s first-half header had been ruled out for offside that you felt a little sorry for him when he turned around to discover the assistant referee had his flag up.
Never mind. An equally long wait for what seemed like it should be a pretty straightforward VAR check eventually confirmed he was onside and Aguerd got to celebrate his first West Ham goal all over again.
While it might have appeared a decision that should have been a simple one for the VAR team, congested boxes make them more complicated and being right is more important than being quick.
Youth sides set to go toe-to-toe
A quirk of the fixtures made this the first of two big London Stadium meetings between these clubs in a few days.
Following on from this at times tense Premier League basement battle the two clubs’ youth teams will meet in an FA Youth Cup semi-final.
The quality on show might even be a little higher with their younger sides described as two of the best in the country.
Moyes delivers once again
You have to admire David Moyes’s staying power. For third time, when it appeared he needed a result, Moyes managed to inspire his team to one.
After previous wins when seemingly close to the brink against Everton and Nottingham Forest, another one followed against Southampton.
VAR took a long time to check the goal with Aguerd looking to be offside ahead of the header
Theo Walcott, who has regularly scored against the Hammers in the past did not find the net
The result is a further blow for Southampton who now sit bottom of the league standings
Saints in trouble
Another Premier League defeat left Southampton one game closer to failing in their bid to beat the drop. Relegation will inevitably mean significant summer changes at the St Mary’s plans to bring Jason Wilcox in as their director of football will not be altered.
That is set to be unaffected by whichever division Southampton are in which is good news given how highly-regarded he is for his work at Manchester City where he has been their academy director.
Theo Walcott cant score against old foe
West Ham would have been pleased to see the back of Theo Walcott when he was replaced with just under 20 minutes to go.
The 34 year-old has found himself increasingly used of late and West Ham have been his third favourite opponents throughout his career but they managed to see him off at the London Stadium on this occasion.
Source: Read Full Article