'It was handball, wasn't it?' - why Rutter goal against West Ham stood

Nuno Espirito Santo furiously watched two Premier League points slip from West Ham's grasp on Sunday as Brighton's Georginio Rutter netted in the 91st minute to cancel out Jarrod Bowen's opener.

As the ball was sent into the West Ham penalty area, the ball popped up off Rutter's thigh and on to his arm before he fired low past Alphonse Areola in goal.

After a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the goal was deemed to be within the laws at Amex Stadium - and it meant the match finished 1-1.

The goal, which the Hammers boss said was "handball", kept West Ham in the bottom three as they sit two points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Nuno told Sky Sports post-match: "It was a handball, wasn't it, and a high foot. No need to speak with the referee. I think it was the main factor."

The Hammers boss said he "cannot understand how they gave the goal" after two possible infringements.

He said: "It's clear. I saw it, everybody saw it. VAR saw it, everybody saw it. I think both situations should be checked.

"It's hard to take, man, it's really hard to take, especially after the hard work of the boys, the support of our fans that makes us feel like we were in London.

"Then comes one situation, so many people see it, it's hard to take."

BBC Sport takes a look at why the goal stood.

The International Football Association Board (Ifab) announced changes to the handball law from 1 July 2021.

That change in law worked in favour of Rutter and Brighton as accidental handball leading to a team-mate scoring a goal or having a goalscoring opportunity was longer considered an offence.

Lawmakers ruled that not every touch of a player's hand or arm with the ball is an offence. In terms of the issue of the hand or arm making a player's body "unnaturally bigger", it was confirmed that referees should continue to use their judgment in determining the validity of the hand or arm's position in relation to the player's movement in that specific situation.

The Premier League Match Centre confirmed why the goal stood: "The referee's call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR - with it deemed that Rutter's arm was in a natural position and he did not deliberately handle the ball, and the contact with the arm was not immediately prior to him scoring."

The potential handball was not the only controversial moment in the build-up to Rutter's equaliser.

With the ball bouncing around the danger zone, Charalampos Kostoulas tried an audacious overhead kick as West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos attempted to block with his head.

Nuno added: "If Dinos [Mavropanos] was stood on the ground, maybe. But there's contact on his head, isn't there?"

In plenty of similar cases, free-kicks have been given for the high foot being classed as dangerous.

But on Sunday, that was not the case with referee Simon Hooper, deeming the potential foul not dangerous enough to bring play to a halt.

This is because this type of foul is down to the discretion of the referee, unless VAR deems it a clear and obvious error.

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