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Claudio Ranieri Defends Referee After West Ham Handball Goal Crushes Fulham Survival Hopes

Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri was left to rue a lack of VAR as a Javier Hernandez handball set West Ham on their way to all three points at the London Stadium.

After Ryan Babel gave the visitors the lead inside the opening few minutes, controversy struck when West Ham striker Javier Hernandez equalised with his hand.

The goal sparked a Hammers turnaround, with Issa Diop and a late Michail Antonio strike sealing a comfortable 3-1 win for the home side in the end.

Despite being on the wrong end of a potentially season-defining call, Ranieri refused to blame the match officials for failing to see the incident, and instead hoped that the introduction of VAR next season would help make things better.