Dean Smith raged at referee Chris Kavanagh after his Aston Villa side slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat that leaves the manager under the microscope.
Villa had Ezri Konsa sent off and were beaten 4-1 at home by West Ham, after Smith took a gamble by dropping captain Tyrone Mings to the bench.
They are now only three points above the relegation zone after spending £300million since promotion, although they lost captain Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100m over the summer.
Ezri Konsa saw red in the second-half as West Ham dominated Aston Villa in a 4-1 victory
Friday’s match at Southampton, who are a point and a place above Villa, is starting to look important for Smith, who has been in the job for three years.