West Ham furious with VAR after Alphonse Areola’s error gave AZ Alkmaar lead in Europa Conference League semi-final
West Ham were furious after Alphonse Areola's howler gave AZ Alkmaar the lead but came back to win.
Tijani Reijnders broke the deadlock at the London Stadium just before the break in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final.
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But the east London outfit thought they should have had a free-kick as they argued that Lucas Paqueta was pushed before the 41st minute strike.
It wasn't given, while Areola - standing in for Lukasz Fabianski - was guilty of an error that allowed the midfielder's 35-yard shot to squirm in.
His drive from distance had some power to it, but it could have been saved had the French shot-stopper got across quicker.
The opener instantly drew protests from the hosts, as the West Ham players surrounded referee Halil Umut Meler.
VAR checked whether Paqueta was fouled before the goal, but went against overturning the decision.
It led to fume from the players and the fans in the stadium while David Moyes was less than pleased.
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Former West Ham defender Alvin Martin was also of the opinion that the Dutch side's goal shouldn't have stood, though he insisted Areola had to save the shot.
Speaking on commentary for talkSPORT about whether there was a push on Paqueta, he said: "I thought there was. I thought he had a push.
"I think that Areola maybe could have done better with it.
"But the strike is a difficult one, it's low down to his right, it bounces in a really awkward position, just in front of the goal-line.
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"But he's a quality goalkeeper, it just bounces over him. Maybe he will feel he should have done better there.
"But my initial reaction was that it was a foul, but the referee has been a little inconsistent, he's let stuff go and then he's pulled up on stuff.
"So I'm a little surprised actually that he didn't stop play there and then."
That was as good as it good for the visitors at the London Stadium, though, as West Ham staged a late comeback.
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Said Benrahma hit the equaliser from the penalty spot when AZ keeper Mat Ryan punched Jarrod Bowen in the face.
And shortly after, Michail Antonio scraped one in over the line from a corner to make it 2-1 to the Hammers.
It gives West Ham a vital goal lead going into the second leg next week.