November 28th 2023.
Wolves' Monday night's defeat against Fulham was a gut-wrenching one. Manager Gary O'Neil shared his frustrations about the officiating and implementation of VAR, which he believes hindered rather than helped the referee.
The 3-2 loss was compounded by the suspensions their first choice central midfielders, Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina, will serve in their upcoming match against Premier League leaders Arsenal. Both players have been integral to the team's recent successes, but after collecting their fifth cautions of the season, they will not be available for selection.
O'Neil highlighted the decisions made during the game, including the late penalty awarded to Fulham after Joao Gomes brought Harry Wilson down in the box, the alleged headbutt by Carlos Vinicius on Max Kilman, and why Tim Ream did not receive a second yellow for a foul on Hwang Hee-Chan.
He said: "I don't think it's helped the game, I think the ref would have done a better job on his own. I don't think VAR helped him but in fact it hindered him. Sending him to the screen for one and not to the other, not advising him there is a headbutt or that Tim Ream should receive a red card. What is the point in VAR? They said they got the Harry Wilson one right. There's minimal contact and I don't think there's enough."
The Wolves boss also felt aggrieved about Fulham's first penalty, awarded for a foul by Nelson Semedo on Tom Cairney. After speaking to the referee after the match, he said: "Nelson plays the ball, doesn't touch Tom Cairney. I watched it back with the referee, and to be fair to him he says he thinks they've got that wrong and he should have been sent to the monitor. Doesn't help me. It doesn't help all the fans that have travelled all this way to watch the team. Doesn't help the players who are feeling frustrated again. The Nelson one has pretty much been admitted by the referee that a mistake."
The defeat at Craven Cottage was a devastating one for Wolves. With their first choice central midfielders now suspended for their upcoming match against Arsenal, the team will have to find a way to adjust and make do without them. It will be a difficult challenge, but one that they will have to face head on in order to come out on top.
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