Behind to Oliver McBurnie's goal at the start of the second half, the Hammers thought they had snatched a draw in injury time.

Robert Snodgrass looked to have made it 1-1 when he squeezed a low shot between a post and goalkeeper Dean Henderson, but replays showed that the ball had hit Declan Rice's arm in the build up.

The VAR decision was greeted like a second goal by the Bramall Lane faithful and condemned West Ham to a first defeat under Moyes in his third game in charge.

"I thought it was a deserved equaliser, it looked a good goal for me," the Scot said.

"Declan does great, powering through the middle and does everything right - good pass and good finish. It looked a good goal.

"I've seen the replay and it still looks a really good goal. If you've played football and you've been there and are a football man, then it can only be a goal.

"The defender did well to get back at Declan, heads it and tries to clear it, and it hits Declan's arm. It used to be that defenders defended with their hands behind their back, should all players on the pitch do that now?

"It was a good goal and a very good performance. It was certainly worthy of at least a draw, maybe more."

Rice himself described the disallowed goal, which was chalked off correctly under the new handball law, as a "real kick in the teeth".

"I just can't get over it. I've not intentionally meant to handball the ball," said the England international, before delivering a withering assessment of VAR.

"I don't think it's just me, I think it's the thoughts of every Premier League player - I don't think pretty much anyone wants to have VAR in the game," he added on Sky Sports.

The VAR call was not the first piece of bad news for West Ham on Friday (Saturday AEDT) after Lukasz Fabianski suffered an injury inside the opening quarter-hour of the match.

Chris Wilder celebrated signing his new Sheffield United contract with a win, but the Blades boss admitted he was left "deflated" by the manner of the victory and felt for his opposite number.

"I've got a lot of sympathy for David and his players," said Wilder.

"A fellow manager, I know how much it means to David, has seen his team play at full tilt and try to get a last-minute equaliser and then it gets chalked off.

"I will say, and everyone knows, that has happened to us two or three times this season. So what their manager has felt, I've felt. But I feel a little bit deflated, if I'm honest."

Australian Associated Press