Wolves’ hopes of a first win were dashed when Ryan Sessegnon opened the scoring with just nine minutes on the clock, before Emmanuel Agbadou was sent off just ten minutes before half-time.
It was a controversial call by referee John Brooks, who has a bad history when it comes to Wolves.
Nothing can be questioned about the foul itself. It was clumsy by Agbadou, but there was also a potential handball in the build-up to the challenge, and that could have negated the sending off.
The Premier League has now released an official statement clarifying the incident, and Wolves fans probably won’t agree with it.
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Premier League clarify why VAR did not intervene on Emmanuel Agbadou’s red card
The decision to send Emmanuel Agbadou off was not straightforward, as there were plenty of checks for VAR before the decision was confirmed.
On replay, it did seem like the ball hit the arm rather than the chest of Josh King, but those in Stockley Park did not seem to believe so.
An official statement by the league was issued on social media following the incident and clarified why the red card stood.
The Premier League said, “The referee’s call of red card to Agbadou for the denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO) was checked and confirmed by the VAR – with it deemed a clear foul and King would have retained control of the ball.
“The VAR also confirmed that there was no handball offence by King in the build-up.”
It is a decision that will frustrate both Vitor Pereira and fans. Despite VAR’s intervention, there still remains a doubt on whether it was the right decision or not.
VAR got this one wrong again
It should come as no shock at this point, as VAR got yet another decision for Wolves wrong.
The ball clearly glances off the arm of Josh King, and while Emmanuel Agbadou did commit a clumsy tackle, that handball should have negated the red card.
Wolves will have a right to be frustrated, but they will also have no right to complain about their first-half performance.
Before the red card, they were simply not good enough, and fans were unhappy with Pereira’s selection decision once more.