VAR has once again sparked outrage in the Premier League after Fulham’s opening goal against Chelsea was controversially disallowed at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Josh King thought he had fired Fulham ahead midway through the first half, only for the strike to be ruled out after Rodrigo Muniz was judged to have fouled Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up. Referee Robert Jones overturned the goal following a VAR review led by Michael Salisbury, leaving Fulham players and fans furious.
"I don't remember seeing a worse VAR decision." 😬
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 30, 2025
Danny Murphy could not believe Fulham's goal against Chelsea was ruled out ❌ pic.twitter.com/KvCjZdNcpV
Murphy: "A Complete Lack of Understanding"
Speaking on Match of the Day, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy slammed both the VAR team and the on-field referee for failing to apply common sense.
“I don’t remember seeing a worse VAR decision than this one, and the referee as well because he has the chance. It’s a brilliant goal. What they are saying is it’s a careless challenge. Muniz doesn’t make a challenge — he uses a great bit of skill, a Maradona turn, he’s not making a challenge.”
“He’s used the skill and is planting his foot. The challenge is from Chalobah. For some reason VAR decides to get involved, I don’t know why. It’s a complete lack of understanding.”
"I hope to god there's an apology." 😤
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 30, 2025
Danny Murphy says officials "have got to do better" after Josh King's opening goal for Fulham was disallowed.#MOTD pic.twitter.com/sTUKZZcpiL
Murphy also criticised referee Robert Jones for not overturning the VAR recommendation after reviewing the footage.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’ve played the game or not, everyone can see that’s a bit of skill. The referee had a wonderful opportunity when he got called to the screen to say: ‘Actually no, that’s absolutely fine, let’s move on.’ But he didn’t. That’s the bit that got me.”
“These are experienced guys who have been doing it a long time now. They’ve got to do better because that’s an easy decision to get right and it’s really poor from them. I hope to God there’s an apology.”
Silva: "Unbelievable"
Fulham manager Marco Silva was equally incensed, calling the decision “unbelievable” and questioning how VAR is being used.
“Everybody’s shocked by what’s happened this afternoon,” he told Match of the Day. “Nobody can tell me it was an obvious foul from Rodrigo. It’s difficult to understand.”
“How you disallow a goal like that is unbelievable. We have meetings with referees and people in charge, we all want to win. VAR is not here to re-referee the game. I would prefer not to say something more because I would be punished. I want to be on the touchline next week to help my team, I don’t want to be fined. But it has been a difficult start to the season with some decisions.”
PGMOL Admit Mistake
Referees’ chief Howard Webb has since admitted the call was wrong, saying it did not meet the high threshold for VAR intervention and should have been left as the referee’s original decision.
As a consequence, VAR official Michael Salisbury has been stood down from duty for Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal on Sunday, replaced by John Brooks.
The Bigger Picture
It’s the second time this season Chelsea have benefitted from a controversial VAR call at Stamford Bridge, following Eberechi Eze’s disallowed free-kick for Crystal Palace on opening weekend.
With managers, pundits, and players all publicly criticising the system, the debate around VAR is raging louder than ever. As Murphy said, what should have been an “easy decision” to allow Fulham’s opener has instead become another defining moment in the growing crisis of trust around officiating in the Premier League.
