VAR Panel Highlights Errors Impacting Fulham and Wolves | OneFootball

VAR Errors Highlight Growing Concerns for Fulham and Wolves

The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel has confirmed what many supporters already felt: Fulham and Wolves were wronged by VAR during the most recent round of fixtures. Two major decisions, both involving potential game-changing moments, have now been classified as mistakes.

Fulham Goal Wrongly Ruled Out

Josh King’s first-half goal against Chelsea was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review, a decision that left Fulham furious and ultimately shaped the game. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief refereeing officer Howard Webb admitted that the call was a “misjudgement”, with the panel agreeing unanimously that play should have been allowed to continue.

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King had finished confidently after 22 minutes, only for the incident to be called back for a foul by Rodrigo Muniz on Trevoh Chalobah near the halfway line. “The panel unanimously supported the original on-field call to allow play to continue and award the goal,” the report stated.

Chelsea went on to win 2-0 through Joao Pedro’s header and Enzo Fernandez’s penalty, leaving Fulham winless after three games. Marco Silva voiced his frustration post-match, saying: “How you disallow a goal like that is unbelievable. VAR is not here to re-referee the game.”

Wolves Denied Clear Penalty

Wolves’ misery deepened when the panel confirmed that they should have been awarded a penalty in their 3-2 defeat at Everton. Iliman Ndiaye was judged to have fouled Hugo Bueno inside the box, but VAR Craig Pawson chose not to intervene. Three of the five panel members deemed this a “clear and obvious error”.

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Growing Pressure on VAR

These incidents come in a season where scrutiny of VAR has intensified, with Salisbury stood down from officiating duties the following day after his involvement in the Fulham decision. The panel revealed that there were 18 VAR errors last season, the majority due to missed interventions.

With Wolves rooted to the bottom of the table and Fulham still searching for a win, these errors take on added significance. For both clubs, the frustration will be that such decisions are supposed to be eliminated by technology, not created by it.