Gary O’Neil Reacts to Controversial VAR Decision in Wolves’ 2-1 Loss to Manchester City

Following Manchester City’s thrilling injury-time victory, which came under examination after first being ruled out by the on-field referee, wolves manager Gary O’Neil has voiced his annoyance. Although City’s John Stones scored the clinching goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time, VAR reversed the decision when Bernardo Silva was first thought to be meddling with Wolves goalkeeper José Sá from an offside position.

Originally ruling the goal out, Referee Chris Kavanaugh thought Silva’s posture had blocked Sá’s view. Replays following a VAR review, however, revealed Sá had a clean line of sight and Silva was not hindering him. The objective was then given to City, which won 2-1 at Molineux.

O’Neil’s Reaction

Disappointed by the ruling, O’Neil acknowledged he wasn’t hopeful after Kavanaugh visited the pitchside monitor. Speaking with Sky Sports, O’ Neil remarked:

“I’m trying to keep cool. I was expecting that result since I have been involved in some of those and not had many go in our favor.”

He admitted the “grey area” around such choices, saying he was not sure it would turn out for Wolves once it got that point.

O’Neil’s remarks capture the continuous annoyance wolves feel this season from multiple important decisions apparently not working out. Though Wolves’ defensive performance against the current champions was strong, the dubious Stones winner added to their difficult Premier League run.

Especially in such close, game-deciding situations, the match will probably feed continuous discussions on VAR’s consistency and the interpretation of offside interference.