West Ham climbed seven places in the Premier League table to 10th as Kurt Zouma’s controversial goal helped them beat Bournemouth.
Zouma glanced in a close-range header just before half-time, but the Cherries were furious as the ball appeared to hit the hands of Hammers defender Thilo Kehr earlier in the move.
However, the goal was allowed to stand after a check by the video assistant referee as they deemed the handball accidental and ruled it did not lead to a direct goal.
Despite this, Bournemouth caretaker boss Gary O’Neill was unhappy with the decision and was booked after speaking to referee David Cote as the teams left the field at half-time.
The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 91st minute when Bournemouth’s Jordan Zimora decided to handle the ball while sliding in an attempt to block a cross, with Said Benirhama converting from the spot to ensure victory.
It was a difficult evening for the Cherries, now three without a win, as they lost striker Dominic Solanke and goalkeeper Neto to injury after just 45 minutes.
To make matters worse for the visitors, they thought they should have awarded themselves a penalty when the score was 1-0 after the ball hit Ben Johnson’s arm, but their appeals were turned down.
‘It’s a handball, it’s a fact’
The first controversial moment of the game came in the 45th minute when West Ham had a corner from the right and Kehrer went for a header but, eyes closed and hands firmly in front of him, the ball hit his hands.
Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham didn’t get far on a clearing header and when West Ham’s Tomas Sucic headed it towards goal, the ball deflected off the head of Flynn Downs and then Zouma before going into the net, VAR. Goal awarded later. check
As he demonstrated with the officials at half-time, O’Neill, a former West Ham player who has been in charge of Bournemouth since the end of August, insisted: “It’s a handball, it’s a fact.”
