LONDON, July 2 ― David Moyes praised his West Ham United side's resolve after they shrugged off the frustration of having a goal ruled out by VAR and then falling behind to snatch a crucial 3-2 Premier League win over Chelsea today.
It looked as though West Ham were heading for a fourth successive league defeat when Willian gave fourth-placed Chelsea the lead from the penalty spot, soon after Tomas Soucek's effort had been deemed offside.
Goals either side of halftime by Soucek and Michail Antonio turned the game upside down but Willian's 72nd free kick levelled it up. Substitute Andriy Yarmolenko then struck an 89th-minute winner to move Moyes's side three points above the drop zone.
“At that moment I thought everything was going against us,” Moyes said of the VAR decision to deny Soucek because a grounded Antonio was laying in a marginally offside decision.
“This VAR stuff I am beginning to lose faith with it. I was spewing. I was thinking are we going to get a decision here?
“The first goal in the Premier League is really vital and when you lose it you think here we go again but great credit to the players, they kept at it and I thought we got the reward.”
Moyes's decision to send on Ukrainian wide man Yarmolenko in the 78th minute proved a masterstroke. Yarmolenko was injured when Moyes took over in December and he admits he has only really seen him in training since the easing of the lockdown.
With record signing Sebastien Haller missing through injury he gives Moyes another option.
“I know Yarmolenko can score. He does a lot of good things, I've now had a chance to see a bit of Yarmolenko tonight and we've got a bit of competition.”
While victory eased the pressure on West Ham slightly, moving them to 16th and three points above the drop zone, Moyes said there was much hard work to do in the last six games.
“One win is not enough,” he said. “We have to win more than one if we are going to be a Premier League club. But after the performance Chelsea put in against Man City last week this was an outstanding result for us.” ― Reuters
