Plenty of controversy came from Wolves’ late defeat to Manchester City on match day eight of the Premier League season.
Gary O’Neil’s hunt for a win goes on, as the Old Gold extended their run without three points to 11 league games.
It was so nearly a strong point earned against Man City at Molineux, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Josko Gvardiol’s first-half goals seeming conclusive.
Instead, it was the champions who earned the win with seconds to spare, seeing John Stones net the late winner in controversial circumstances.
Chris Kavanagh under fire for actions in Wolves vs Man City
Chris Kavanagh ruled Stones’ injury-time winner out for offside, as Bernardo Silva was believed to have interfered with play by standing in front of Jose Sa.
The referee was urged to review the goal by VAR, seeing the late winner awarded and Kavanagh’s decision overturned.
It was a deflating outcome at Molineux and a call that was highly debated in the aftermath although, it wasn’t the only questionable decision on the afternoon.
Dissecting the drama that unfolded on match day eight, Richard Keys expressed his dissatisfaction over Kavanagh’s performance when officiating the clash between Wolves and City.
- READ MORE: Ex-Premier League goalkeeper gives verdict on Jose Sa role in Wolves vs Man City VAR situation
First, the presenter explained that the issue with the goal wasn’t that Silva was offside, but more that the City midfielder impeded Sa.
“There was a lot of fuss about City’s winner as well. The first thing to say here is that Silva wasn’t offside, but that wasn’t the offence that should’ve been looked at. Silva clearly impedes Sa’s ability to get to the ball.”
Keys then went on to blast Kavanagh for the ‘shocking decision’ he made in the build-up to City’s match winner.
“There’s a glaring foul as Wolves build towards City’s goal in the 93rd minute. Nunes fouls Guedes – tackles him from behind – catches him and brings him down.
“If Wolves get that free-kick, they keep the ball and get a point. Chris Kavanagh waves play on. It was a shocking decision.”
Matheus Nunes winning the ball from Goncalo Guedes started the passage of play that led to City’s corner from which Stones scored, so had Kavanagh blown for a foul, the match may have ended in a draw.
More VAR controversy for Wolves
There’s a lot of debate regarding Stones’ winner and whether it should have stood, with the main argument being that if it wasn’t a glaring error by Kavanagh on-field, why did VAR intervene?
Keys showed sympathy for O’Neil’s side, who were once more the victim of PGMOL’s intervention, emphasising why Wolves wanted VAR scrapped at the end of last season.
To put into perspective just how much the Old Gold have suffered at the hands of VAR, Wolves’ position in the VAR overturns net score table tells a bleak story.
The Midlands club sit bottom of the VAR decisions net score table by an eyewatering -13 points, with Wolves possessing a net score of -20 and West Ham above them with -7.
The gap is astounding, with matters not made better during the club’s latest defeat.