David Moyes railed against a "scandalous" VAR decision after West Ham were denied a dramatic equaliser in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, though Thomas Tuchel agreed with the call to disallow Maxwel Cornet's late strike.
Chelsea were staring at back-to-back defeats when Michail Antonio gave West Ham a second-half lead at Stamford Bridge, but Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz stepped off the bench to turn the contest around with a goal apiece.
The drama was not done there, however, as Hammers substitute Cornet had a fine right-footed effort chalked off after Jarrod Bowen was adjudged to have fouled Eduoard Mendy at the death.
Moyes has now failed to win in 18 Premier League trips to Chelsea – the joint-longest winless streak managed by any coach at a single team in the competition (also Moyes at Arsenal).
The West Ham boss was furious with the decision and accused Mendy of feigning injury after the incident, declaring: "You have seen it, it is a scandalous decision.
"It's absolutely rotten from one of the supposedly elite referees - it doesn't say much about whoever sent him over from VAR as well - it is an unbelievable decision against us.
"We feel we got back to 2-2 and it [the loss] was not down to anything we have done. I support a lot of the VAR stuff.
"I actually think the goalkeeper dives, he is faking an injury because he cannot get to the next one, he did the same on the first goal as well. The referee somehow gets that so wrong it is incredible."
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice also made his displeasure clear on social media after the match, tweeting: "That's up there with one of the worst VAR decisions made since it's come into the game. Shambles."
But Moyes' counterpart Tuchel backed Andy Madley's decision to overturn the goal, telling the BBC: "The momentum of luck is always present, you can never plan things, you can never be sure in a league like this, anything can be turned upside down in any second.
"We were lucky today to get the VAR decision in our favour, which was for me the correct decision. But as we have discussed many times, the decisions don't always go your way."
Chelsea came back to win a Premier League match after conceding the game's first goal after the break for the first time since January 2009 (2-1 v Stoke City), and Tuchel was delighted with the Blues' response after they were beaten at Southampton on Tuesday.
"We wanted to restart the season, turn the game around and keep the three points here," he added.
"I never see a spectacular game against them. It's so, so hard to find spaces, to create spaces, to create chances. They defend deep, they defend with bodies, discipline and physicality.
"It's so, so hard to find a consistent rhythm, and if you lack a little bit of belief like we do, it's even harder. Then you go 1-0 down, this is almost impossible.
"To keep believing is very important, and to get the opener from the bench from Chilwell, and then from Kai the decisive goal, is so good.
"We wanted to define ourselves as a team who play with team spirit and to have a huge influence from the bench, which he had today, so full credit.
"I think it's also down to the situation that the transfer window is closed, now everybody knows that he is in the group, and we need to set the standards again.
"One of the standards was to toughen up and not be soft, to block shots, to give everything to defend our goal. We need to improve consistently and this is not over."
Fans celebrate Luton’s fairytale promotion to Premier League at civic parade
Thousands of Luton fans have celebrated the Hatters’ fairytale rise into the Premier League at a civic parade in the town.
Luton won promotion to the top flight of English football on Saturday by beating Coventry in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final, just nine years after playing in the National League.
Rob Edwards’ side – who won 6-5 on penalties at Wembley after the game had been drawn 1-1 – will next season welcome champions Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United to their modest 10,356-capacity Kenilworth Road home.
“It means everything,” said head coach Rob Edwards before launching into a rendition of Bon Jovi’s ‘Always’ and holding aloft the play-off trophy on the Luton Town Hall balcony.
“It’s for you (the fans), the Luton Town people, for the town, these players who deserve it, for the backroom staff who work so hard, the board. We’ve got to enjoy this moment.”
Some Luton fans had waited nearly four hours to see players and staff make their way on to a specially-constructed stage in the town’s St George’s Square.
Highlights of the season and the play-off final were shown on a big screen before two open top buses arrived following a short ride from Kenilworth Road.
Hatters chief executive Gary Sweet told fans: “The impact of being in the Premier League will be massive for this town.
“This could be a life-changing opportunity for us, but from a character point of view, don’t change.
“Let’s still be us, still grounded. Let’s keep humble.”
David De Gea says Manchester United are ready for one more ‘special’ battle
Manchester United have fought for success all year and David De Gea says they are ready for one more “special” battle against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge has been one of progress and, for the most part, positivity, with the side finishing third in the Premier League and sealing a Champions League return.
The Dutchman is only the second manager in United’s history to win a major trophy in his first season and has the chance to add to February’s Carabao Cup triumph this weekend.
Ten Hag’s Red Devils head to Wembley for the first all-Manchester FA Cup final, when they will attempt to add to their cabinet and stop rivals City’s attempts to win the treble.
View this post on Instagram“We have to recover well and start to prepare for the game,” De Gea said. “Of course, we know it’s a big final, a special game.“We’ve been the whole year fighting to be in that position to win titles and we will try absolutely everything to try to win.”
De Gea and his team-mates were all in at Carrington on Monday morning, with Sunday’s starters focused on recovery from the 2-1 comeback win against Fulham at a bouncing Old Trafford.
Kenny Tete had put the visitors ahead in the Premier League season finale and Marco Silva’s men would have extended their lead had Golden Glove winner De Gea not stopped Aleksandar Mitrovic’s spot-kick.
United kicked on after that, with Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes completing a victory that saw them beat Newcastle to third spot.
“We concede the first goal from a corner and then I think five minutes after we concede a penalty,” De Gea, whose contract has yet to be extended beyond the summer, said.
“I was very positive. I was feeling like ‘come on, you have to save this penalty, we have to finish properly the season at home, we have to win’.
“Then I make the save, everyone was happy, enjoying and I helped the team to win the three points today.
View this post on Instagram“The manager wants us to be focused every game, winning every game. Before the game he was shouting before ‘come on guys, we have to finish properly, winning mentality’.“So, yeah, we showed it again. 1-0 down, suffering a bit, but then we create chances and could have scored even more than two.
“But, like I say, a big way to finish the season with a victory and (it) gives a bit of enjoyment to the fans.”
The result saw United equal the club’s record of 27 home wins in all competitions in a single campaign, while also meaning they finished 17 points better off than last season.
“100 per cent, for sure, the improvement is there,” De Gea told MUTV. “Of course we still have a gap to improve but, yeah, a massive improvement from last season.
“Winning a cup, finish third – it’s never easy to finish in the Champions League places in England.
“And then we have another final, a big final, so I think at the moment it is a great year.”
As for Fulham, the defeat at Old Trafford was frustrating but this was a season to cherish having finished 10th on their return to the top-flight.
View this post on InstagramGoalscoring right-back Tete said: “Unbelievable season, every single player.
“If you saw how we fought all season for every single point. Not even one game was easy for us.
“I am just proud of the boys. We said it as well to each other and this is something we have to build on.
“We know now what our standard is, we know now what we can bring. I can’t wait for next season.”
A lot of changes in store after Leicester relegation – Jonny Evans
Leicester defender Jonny Evans does not know what the future holds following their relegation to the Championship.
The Foxes became just the second former Premier League champions to be relegated when their 2-1 win against West Ham was deemed meaningless by Everton’s victory against Bournemouth.
A large number of players, including Evans and Youri Tielemans, are out of contract while the likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes look set to be sold to help balance the books.
Evans revealed the squad had said their goodbyes in the dressing room ahead of a likely summer exodus.
Evans, 35, said: “It is a tough thing to take.
“There was silence for a long time in the dressing room afterwards. We know there are a lot of players out of contract.
“There are going to be a lot of changes in the football club.
“It was an opportunity for everybody to say goodbye really. A lot of us don’t know where we are going to end up.
“I said to the boys it has been an amazing five years but the club now have decisions to make.
“I don’t think they probably know what they are going to do.”
Defeat for West Ham concluded a disappointing Premier League campaign in which they finished in 14th, just six points above Leicester.
But their attention is firmly on next week’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in what could be Declan Rice’s last game for the club.
The England midfielder looks set to be sold this summer and if the game in Prague is to be his farewell, boss David Moyes wants him to go out on a high.
“I thought he played great. It was another swashbuckling performance from him at times,” Moyes said of his performance at the King Power Stadium.
“I am really pleased how well he has played for us over the season, he has been exceptional and a credit to himself.
“And now he has the big moment to see if he can lift a trophy for West Ham and he needs to try and get ready to see if he can help us do that.”
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