VAR, Aguero the GOAT, Liverpool's unbeaten run - 5 Talking Points from this weekend's Premier League action

#5 Will there ever be a week without VAR controversy?

West Ham saw a goal controversially ruled out by VAR, leading to their loss to Sheffield United

This weekend’s big VAR controversy came during Friday night’s game that saw Sheffield United defeat West Ham 1-0 to remain in the chase for a European spot. There was no controversy around the Blades’ goal, scored by Oli McBurnie, but instead, heads were turned by the decision to rule out a last-gasp equaliser from Hammers substitute Robert Snodgrass.

England midfielder Declan Rice broke from his own half to charge a loose ball down, and raced into the box before crossing for Snodgrass to score, but VAR cut their celebrations short by disallowing the goal after a replay appeared to suggest the ball had touched Rice’s hand in the build-up to the goal.

This was a baffling decision as it looked like the ball only touched Rice’s hand when a defender had headed it directly against it, and there was clearly no intention on the midfielder’s part to handle. Hammers fans were naturally furious while Rice himself stated that VAR is “not wanted” by the Premier League’s players.

What made the issue even worse was when Liverpool’s goal against Tottenham on Saturday was allowed by VAR despite the ball appearing to strike Jordan Henderson’s hand in the build-up, again through no fault of the midfielder. It just feels like there’s no consistency across the board from the system, and with David Moyes’ Hammers just a couple of points above the relegation zone, this kind of call could prove pivotal later down the line.

The controversial call was just the latest in a series of them from the VAR system being used in the Premier League this season – a system that surely needs to be looked at once 2019-20 comes to an end.