In the last moments of extra time, Soucek appeared to have won it for the Hammers after latching onto James Ward-Prowse’s inswinging free-kick, but a thorough Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check resulted in the call being made that it was a handball.
With a goal in the 79th minute, Nicolo Zaniolo salvaged a point for Villa, who are chasing the Champions League.
The Italian prodded home Moussa Diaby’s cutback into the box to give Villa their second league goal.
Michail Antonio’s first Premier League goal since August had put the Hammers ahead.
In the 29th minute, the Jamaican international scored with a fantastic diving header after Vladimir Coufal’s precise ball.
Soon after the interval, Antonio was called for a second handball when it was determined that he had used his arm to convert Jarrod Bowen’s cross.
Villa is three points ahead of Tottenham in fifth place, while David Moyes’ team is still in seventh place.
Antonio establishes his value to the Hammers
After winning their largest-ever European match on Thursday night, West Ham dominated the opening half of the match and Villa found it difficult to penetrate.
Martinez stopped a Bowen cutback that Coufal was on the end of, and his second effort, following a chest and volley, sailed wildly wide.
When healthy, Antonio continued to prove why he is still a huge asset to the Hammers by scoring his first league goal since the season’s third match.
The 33-year-old made a significant impact on his first league start of the season despite missing three months due to a knee injury sustained in November.
Ben Johnson took Antonio’s place shortly after the hour mark, to thunderous cheers from the home crowd, as he continues to recover to full fitness.
Ultimately, it was a story of two handballs as West Ham lost a league match this season that came just after a matchup in the Europa League.
Freiburg [the first leg], Burnley last week, and now two today have gone against us,” Moyes stated. It is difficult to accept.
It must be right if VAR believes it to be so. I believe that football fans have a certain perspective on life. In the past week, two persons have hit each other’s arms; none of them went for us.
A spirited draw for Villa
As they struggled to a point against West Ham, Unai Emery’s team lost the opportunity to move five points clear of Tottenham.
They had a dismal first half, but they came out stronger in the second half, with replacement Zaniolo scoring the goal.
This season, he has scored two goals for Villa in the Premier League after coming off the bench in the second half.
When they scored the plan changed and in the second half we did better than in the first half,” Emery stated.
We were dominating and playing brilliantly, even if we weren’t creating many obvious chances. We dominated, got the goal, and made an effort to win the game. Although it’s a draw, the outcome benefits us.
I’m very happy for Nicolo, hopefully we can keep him in this mood for the rest of the season.
The Villains are failed to triumph over West Ham at London Stadium and have lost the opportunity to defeat them in the league for the first time since 2010–11.
As Alphonse Areola palmed away Youri Tielemans’ long-range effort, Leon Bailey cut inside and then unleashed a reckless shot that went high and wide, summarising Villa’s afternoon.
In the team’s upcoming league game against Wolves on March 30 (17:30 GMT), Emery will be hoping for a stronger showing.
