Infuriated, Wolves manager Gary O’Neill said that poor officiating choices were damaging his standing and “people’s livelihoods” following his team’s 3-2 Premier League loss to Fulham on Monday. Girona and Athletic Bilbao drew in La Liga, in the meantime.
Willian scored two penalties, including the game-winning one in stoppage time, while Matheus Cunha negated Alex Iwobi’s early goal for Fulham and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolves also scored from the spot.
But following a captivating match at Craven Cottage, VAR was once again the topic of conversation.
Iwobi’s well-executed strike from deep left gave Fulham a well-earned lead in the seventh minute of play. The team had a strong start to the game.
After some brilliant wing play on the right by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Cunha headed in to tie the score halfway through the first half for the visitors.
Ten minutes into the second half, referee Michael Salisbury signaled for a penalty kick, declaring that Nelson Semedo had fouled Tom iCairneyn the box despite the defender’s seeming touch on the ball.
Willian advanced and rolled the ball to the goalkeeper’s left after a protracted VAR examination, making O’Neil’s team—who has seen a string of contentious penalty calls this season—even more hurt.
In the 75th minute, Tim Ream’s poor challenge on Hwang earned Wolves a spot-kick, which the South Korean hammered home down the middle to tie the score.
However, there was still time for the half’s third penalty.
When Joao Gomes and Harry Wilson collided in the final seconds, Salisbury first waved away demands of a penalty. However, he changed his mind after VAR authorities told him to check the pitchside monitor.
Willian did not err in his decision to