David Moyes was left exasperated after two more tight VAR handball decisions went against West Ham in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
The Hammers were denied a stoppage-time winner when a five minute 37 second VAR check – the longest in Premier League history – ruled Tomas Soucek had handled the ball before it crossed the line.
They had earlier been denied by another VAR review which ruled the ball had brushed Michail Antonio’s arm when he bundled it into the net.
We ve put the ball past Martínez in stoppage time, but after a lengthy VAR check it s been disallowed
1-1 (90+12 )
— West Ham United (@WestHam)
Moyes also pointed to more handball decisions not given for his side, against Burnley last weekend and Freiburg in the Europa…
Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli acknowledged the importance of Arturo Vidal returning to action in Wednesday s friendly with Northern Ireland.
The Juventus midfielder, who underwent knee surgery in early May, came on as a late substitute and was involved in his side s opening goal as Chile concluded their FIFA World Cup preparations with a 2-0 win in Valparaiso.
It remains to be seen whether Vidal will be considered ready to play a part in Chile s opening game in Brazil, against Australia on June 13.
Yet, Sampaoli offered a positive update on the 27-year-old s progress.
The decision to let him play was agreed with both the medical team and Arturo. It was important to let him play some minutes and we got a chance to see him again, Sampaoli told reporters.
Arturo …
Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, while Wesley Sneijder has committed to Inter Milan.
Reports in the UK suggest that the Gunners English Premier League rivals United have offered 10 million pounds for Nasri, who has one year left on his contract at the Emirates and is refusing to sign a new deal.
Faced with the prospect of losing the creative midfielder for nothing after the next campaign, Arsenal may be forced to sell Nasri at a cut-price rate in July.
The France international has made 124 appearances for the Gunners and scored 27 goals since arriving from Marseille in 2008.
Arsenal s squad is also set to come under raid from Liverpool, who have reportedly expressed an interest in unsettled left-back Gae…
Schalke general manager Horst Heldt is convinced Roberto Di Matteo is the right man to achieve the club s domestic and European ambitions.
The Gelsenkirchen outfit announced that Jens Keller had paid the price for Schalke s inconsistent start to the season, which has seen the team take just eight points from seven matches, when he was dismissed earlier on Tuesday.
Di Matteo was confirmed as the club s new head coach and he will take charge of the team for the first time against Hertha Berlin on October 18.
The Italian has been without a club since he was sacked by Chelsea in November 2012, having led the Premier League side to a UEFA Champions League and FA Cup double in the 2011-12 campaign.
And Heldt believes the club have the right man to deliver succe…
Tottenham return to UEFA Europa League action against Group C leaders Asteras Tripolis on Thursday, the first of three crucial home matches.
Spurs have struggled for form in the Premier League this season, as evidenced by their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City last time out, and have experienced similar problems in Europe.
After reaching the group stage, Spurs drew their opening two matches, held to a stalemate by Partizan in Belgrade before Demba Ba s late penalty snatched a point for Besiktas at White Hart Lane.
Mauricio Pochettino could have been forgiven for thinking his side had turned the corner after beating his old club Southampton before the international break.
But they were swept aside by City, despite a performance that promised much.
M…
Despite a poor start to the Championship season, Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce maintains belief he can lead the side to promotion.
After Saturday s 3-0 defeat to Cardiff City, Villa again lost away from home Tuesday, going down 2-1 to Reading.
However, Bruce believes perceptions of his side s capabilities have been inflated since signing John Terry from Chelsea.
We obviously signed JT, people got carried away with the euphoria of it all, Bruce said. We are where we are and I m convinced I m the right one to turn it around.
There s still obviously a load of work to be done but judge us when all the players are fit and ready and at the minute we are having a tough time.
We have had a tough start – Newcastle (United) had a tough start last ye…
Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster has signed a new five-year contract with the Premier League club.
The England international was already tied to the St Mary s outfit until 2021 but his latest deal extends his stay by a further year.
Forster arrived at Southampton from Celtic in 2014 and has made 103 appearances for the club in that time, playing every game of the 2016-17 league season.
I m delighted. I have absolutely loved my time here at Southampton so far and when the opportunity came along to extend it I didn’t think twice about it, he told the club s website.
I think it’s a fantastic club to be at, with a really bright future, and the ambition shown at the club is one where they want to move it forward, so for me it was a no-brainer.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would like his employers to sit down with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and thrash out a new deal for the striker.
Speaking to the press ahead of Arsenal s clash with West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, Arteta admitted that the Gunners finishing the season outside of European places could play a role in the Gabonese s decision, but he says he wants Aubameyang to stay under any circumstances .
The 30-year-old has arguably been Arsenal s best player since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, and he has occasionally been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and more recently Inter Milan, but Arteta obviously wants the club to do whatever it takes to prevent his departure. The Spaniard believes that the talks of a new…
Bayern Munich superstar Robert Lewandowski is by far the best striker in the world and should be rated 99 on FIFA 21, according to Arminia Bielefeld forward Fabian Klos.
Lewandowski had the most prolific season of his career in 2019-20, scoring 55 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions as Bayern claimed a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble.
The Poland international found the net more than any other player in the top five European leagues, with Cristiano Ronaldo (37) and Lionel Messi (31) trailing in his wake.
Lewandowski has scored five goals in three Bundesliga appearances this season – a tally only bettered by Andrej Kramaric – and goes into Saturday s meeting with newly promoted Bielefeld following a double for Poland against Bos…
Mali coach Alain Giresse has named his 23-man squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, axing four players from the nation s training camp.
Striker Cheick Fantamady Diarra of French Ligue 1 club Rennes and Jomo Cosmos defender Ousmane Berthe are among those sent home, as well as Sivasspor midfielder Souleymane Keita and Amarou Traore of Bordeaux.
Mali were eliminated in the group stage in 2008 and 2010, prompting the international retirement of several key players, such as Frederic Kanoute.
The squad captained by Barcelona s Seydou Keita will wrap up preparations in Togo before travelling to Gabon on January 20.
They are matched with Ghana, Botswana and Guinea in Group D, and open their tournament against the latter on January 24.
Full squad: Sou…