Pedro elevates Chelsea past Fulham amid VAR discord

A comfortable win for Chelsea in the end over London rivals Fulham, but the jarring feeling from yet another Premier League game was the influence of VAR.

- JACK RATHBORN

At each painstaking moment that a referee blows his whistle and signals his intent to use a pitchside monitor, a little bit of enthusiasm dies inside each supporter.

And yet again, here at Stamford Bridge, the joy and delight of 18-year-old academy product Joshua King, seconds after putting his club in front against their bitter rivals, was extinguished. King had beautifully dispatched the ball beyond Robert Sanchez and into the corner, displaying immense composure to turn Tosin Adarabioyo inside out after Sander Berge’s exquisite throughball.

But this fiery first half soon ignited after VAR decided to examine Rodrigo Muniz’s role in the buildup, prematurely halting the wild celebrations in the Shed End from the away fans. The Brazilian had controlled the ball, spinning and landing on Trevoh Chalobah’s foot.

Referee Robert Jones, after VAR Michael Salisbury’s advice, concluded that Muniz was at fault, despite possessing the ball and watching Chalobah come from behind. Enzo Maresca maintained it was “quite clear”. Marco Silva disagreed.

“For somebody that loves football, I’m here as a Fulham manager, but I feel sad, really,” Silva said. “It’s clear, special game and the best competition in the world, millions watching on TV. How you disallow a goal like that, it’s unbelievable, VAR is not here to re-referee the game, for us and the world it was unbelievable. I prefer not to say more because I will be punished. It’s difficult for us, this type of decision.

“Eight minutes of extra-time, I accept, but eight minutes, I would like the chance to have a corner, but after the second corner, it’s already nine minutes. The game didn’t stop one time, I saw all of the eight minutes. It should stop after the first corner, yes we should defend better.”