Chelsea handed new Fulham VAR verdict as flashpoint decision slammed - 'Terrible'

Chelsea andEnzo Maresca have been given a fresh VAR verdict by former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd. The Blues saw off the Cottagers 2-0 at Stamford Bridge owing to goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez, but it could have been an entirely different result.

With the score at 0-0 just before the half-hour mark, Marco Silva's side launched a counter-attack after outnumbering the Blues in midfield. Timothy Castagne played the ball into Rodrigo Muniz, who was put under pressure by Trevoh Chalobah.

As the Fulham striker shielder the ball, he planted his studs on the top of the Chelsea defender's foot, with the latter falling to the ground in pain. The ball, in turn, dropped to Sander Berge after a challenge from Marc Cucurella.

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The Norwegian midfielder played King in behind the Blues' defence, shifting the ball on to his right foot and beating Robert Sanchez at his front post. The youngster wheeled away to celebrate, but Michael Salisbury, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), recommended that referee Robert Jones watch back the incident in the build-up on the pitch-side monitor.

After a review, Jones adjudged Muniz to have fouled Chalobah in the build-up and ruled out the goal. Addressing the decision to the crowd at Stamford Bridge, Jones said: "After review, Fulham number nine commits a careless challenge, stands on the foot of the Chelsea defender, therefore we disallow the goal and we restart with a Chelsea free kick. There would be no further action."

There's been plenty of backlash to that decision, with The Daily Mail's Mike Keegan claiming that PGMOL - the official refereeing body - 'acknowledge error made when disallowing Fulham goal'. Chief refereeing officer for the PGMOL Howard Webb has, meanwhile, contacted Fulham directly.

Now, Gallagher and Bothroyd have both waded in on the debate as part of Sky Sports' Ref Watch coverage. Gallagher said: "I think he's been too forensic. He's looked and looked and I'm convinced the more you look at something, the more you talk yourself into it.

"The game just goes on, everybody carries on. I was watching it live and the referee has got the best view.

"If you run it again, he's six, seven, eight yards from it.

"He's got a direct view of it and he turns away, he makes no decision whatsoever. I've been looking at that since Saturday morning and I can't understand what he thinks he saw.

"You only have to see it once to see it's a skilful turn by the player. It's just not a foul."

Bothroyd added: "That's not careless at all. Anyone that knows football can see Muniz is trying to drag the ball and drag it again.

"But because Chalobah's foot is there, underneath Muniz's foot, he's stepped on him, but it's never a foul.

"It's a terrible decision and it stopped King for scoring a great goal.

"When you look at the players, no-one appealed for a foul because it wasn't."