'Where's the consistency?!' - Jarrod Bowen FUMES over West Ham's disallowed goal vs Arsenal after lengthy VAR delay in stoppage time

The atmosphere turned toxic in the dying embers of the clash when West Ham thought they had snatched a 1-1 draw and a vital point in their fight to avoid relegation. After a goalmouth scramble, the ball was bundled into the net by Callum Wilson, sparking wild celebrations from the home support.

However, the joy was short-lived as VAR intervened to check for a potential handball in the build-up. Following an agonisingly long review at the monitor, referee Chris Kavanagh overturned the decision, leaving the Hammers empty-handed. Meanwhile, the Gunners walked away with three invaluable points thanks to a Leandro Trossard goal, moving five points clear of Manchester City at the Premier League summit.

The Premier League explained the decision in an official post on X, which read: "After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of goal to West Ham United. Referee announcement: 'After review, West Ham number 19 commits a foul on the goalkeeper. Final decision is direct free kick'."

Bowen, who was at the heart of the action, could not hide his anger at the final whistle, confronting the officials on the pitch before taking his frustrations to the media.

The England international focused his criticism on the lack of a uniform standard when it comes to subjective calls. Speaking to BBC Sport, Bowen questioned why similar incidents in previous weeks had not resulted in goals being disallowed.

"A real blow. We thought we'd done so well to get back in it and had it taken away from us," fumed the West Ham star. "When you look at the screen for five minutes you'll find something - a lot of grappling and a lot of holding. I'm sure if you look long enough you'll find something. Do I think it's the right decision? No. Frustration. Where's the consistency? As a fan you don't want to celebrate a goal and then wait eight minutes and it's taken off you.

"Corners are physical. The Premier League is physical. That's why everyone loves it. You have to expect contact at corners. If you give that you have to give all the holding calls in the world and that's not the way people want the game to go down. I don't want to sound bitter but last week we had one with Tomas Socuek held at Brentford and we didn't get a penalty. But then you can't give one like that today."

Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo echoed his captain’s sentiments, focusing on the detrimental impact the lengthy delay had on the flow of the game.

The Portuguese manager, who has been vocal about officiating throughout the season, felt his team were unfairly punished during a period where they had Arsenal on the ropes.

"It is difficult to accept. We are talking about five minutes to make a decision," Nuno said to Sky Sports. "If it takes that long, it is not clear and obvious. We lose the momentum, we lose the emotion of the goal, and in the end, we lose the point because of a decision that nobody understands. We want respect and we want consistency for our work."

While West Ham were left to lick their wounds, the decision proved to be a massive let-off for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side had struggled to contain the Hammers' late surge, particularly after losing Ben White to a serious knee injury earlier in the match.

The 1-0 win puts Arsenal on the cusp of their first Premier League title in 22 years, with only a pair of games against relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace left to play. West Ham, meanwhile, are down in 18th, one point behind 17th-placed Tottenham having played a game more. They will face Newcastle and Leeds in their final two matches.