Exclusive: Premier League told to change law after ‘unacceptable’ West Ham incident

West Ham United rounded off their home Premier League campaign with a 2-1 loss against Nottingham Forest.

After the euphoria of winning away at Manchester United last weekend, Graham Potter’s side were brought crashing back down to earth at the London Stadium.

Morgan Gibbs-White put Forest ahead after 11 minutes and Nikola Milenkovic added a second just after the hour mark, before Jarrod Bowen’s consolation strike late on.

Alphonse Areola was badly at fault for Forest’s opener, which Jamie Carragher was quick to call out, while Milenkovic’s goal was only allowed to stand after a lengthy VAR check.

Keith Hackett slams VAR after West Ham v Nottingham Forest delay

Referee Sam Barrott took a full six minutes before confirming that Milenkovic’s goal was allowed to stand against West Ham.

VAR Darren England had communication difficulties, but it was still a farcical situation as the check should have taken no more than 30 seconds – let alone six minutes.

This is despite semi-automated offside technology now being in use in the Premier League.

Reacting to the delay, former FIFA official Keith Hackett exclusively told West Ham Zone: “This is a complete and utter joke that is impacting on the enjoyment of fans and frankly the credibility of our match officials.

	West Ham	Nottingham Forest
Shots	16	10
Shots on target	5	5
Possession	61%	39%
Passes	494	324

“We were promised by the PGMOL that the introduction of the semi-automated system would speed up the process.

“It appears that this technology does not deliver for the match officials when the penalty area is crowded, preventing them from making a prompt and accurate decision.

“Over six minutes to make a decision is totally unacceptable and it needs to be binned or the law change to accommodate the technology parameters.”