Chelsea drew 2-2 with Brentford after conceding a late equaliser, and the referee-VAR conversation about the goal has been revealed.
The Blues appeared to be heading for a come-from-behind win, with second-half goals from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo putting them in front.
But they could not see it out. A long throw eventually landed at Fabio Carvalho’s feet, and he made no mistake from close range.
Jamie Redknapp pointed out that Alejandro Garnacho lost his man during the play, but Chelsea fans felt there was a bigger issue with how the goal came about.
VAR did not see enough impact to suggest overturning the decision, reports journalist
Jody Morris highlighted Dango Ouattara’s offside position during the flick-on, believing the flag should have been raised to disallow Brentford’s equaliser.
Kieran Gill has reported that VAR official James Bell informed referee Stuart Attwell there was not enough interference from Ouattara to overturn the decision, leaving it as a subjective call.
“On-field decision was that no offside occurred, officials deeming no clear impact from Dango Ouattara before Fabio Carvalho scored,” the journalist said.
“VAR James Bell studied it but decided ‘referee’s call’ should stand as it was subjective and didn’t consider it a clear and obvious error, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb insisting on a high threshold for intervention.”
Former referee disagrees with VAR decision
Chelsea supporters will likely be displeased with this decision, especially given that a former Premier League referee suggested there were grounds to disallow the goal.
Mark Clattenburg spoke to The Chelsea Chronicle, explaining that he felt Ouattara’s involvement should have led to Carvalho’s goal being ruled out.
Had Chelsea held on for all three points, they would have moved back to the top of the table, even if only temporarily. Now, their focus shifts quickly to European competition.
Now, Enzo Maresca’s side should forget any officiating controversy and set their sights on Bayern Munich for one of the most anticipated matches of the Champions League opening round.
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