Wolverhampton Wanderers come in last for overturned VAR decisions in the Premier League since it was introduced five years ago. It has so far been a frustrating campaign for the Midlands side, as they are yet to win in the league, sitting joint bottom of the table with one point, and those frustrations only increased as Wolves were on the end of a controversial VAR decision on Sunday against Manchester City.
Wolves fans spot new Chris Kavanagh mistake before Man City's goal (Video)
Wolves fans will be even more furious with Sunday’s defeat to Man City after seeing this incident.
ByBrett WorthingtonOct 21, 2024 Controversial VAR decisions continue
There were a few incidents over the weekend involving VAR that have left supporters unhappy. One of them being Arsenal, as they saw defender William Saliba sent off in their clash against AFC Bournemouth for a tackle that Gunners believe was very similar to what Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo did against Liverpool and escaped punishment.
Wolves were also once again on the end of a decision that looks to be a controversial one, as Man City’s John Stones headed home a winner in injury time after the goal was originally ruled out for offside because of Bernado Silva. However, the goal was given by referee Chris Kavanagh, a decision that Gary O’Neil believes shows there “could be an unconscious bias” towards the bigger Premier League teams.
O’Neil said after the game: “I can categorically tell you they don’t mean to. They are 100 percent honest. I just know, from a human point of view, it’s tough. I feel different playing Manchester City than someone else in the Carabao Cup first round. I’m sure they feel it; they are human. I don’t know if I’m miles off; it just feels there could be.”
That has now resulted in the FA contacting O’Neil over his comments he made, but a table of overturned VAR decisions has now emerged, ranking Wolves dead last with -20 out of the teams who have been in the top flight continually since its introduction. They are 23 worse off than rivals Aston Villa and 25 behind Sunday’s opponents Man City, with West Ham being the next worst of teams with -7.
This table from ESPN editor Dale Johnson is a pure ranking of VAR overturns, so while it does not suggest whether any amount of the decisions were ultimately right/wrong, the sheer disparity to the rest of the league will ignite the fury of Wolves supporters and O’Neil.
Brighton
+9
Newcastle
+6
Man City
+5
Aston Villa
+3
Crystal Palace
+3
Liverpool
+3
Manchester United
+3
Chelsea
+2
Everton
+1
Tottenham
-3
Arsenal
-6
West Ham
-7
Wolves
-20
The worst VAR decisions against Wolves
The VAR table isn’t pretty reading for Wolves and their supporters, and while all 20 of those overturns will not be wrong, it’s fair to say a few have caused justified anger. Of course, the most recent was Sunday’s goal for Man City, where it was judged that Bernado Silva was not obstructing the goalkeeper in an offside position.
However, last season, Wolves scored a very similar goal against West Ham United, and as you can see below, the goal was eventually ruled out, as a Wolves player was deemed to be blocking the goalkeeper in an offside position.
Another decision that the Midlands side faced was against rivals Villa last season, as they conceded a penalty in a situation where it looked as though Ollie Watkins ran into goalkeeper Jose Sa as he tried to catch the ball.
Perhaps the most memorable call that Wolves did not get was against Manchester United last season, as goalkeeper Andre Onana came out and clattered Sasa Kalajdzic in the box in the final moments of a 1-0 United win.