The PGMOL have admitted that VAR made a mistake in disallowing Josh King’s first-half strike for Fulham in their 1–0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
The goal was ruled out after referee Rob Jones, advised by VAR Michael Salisbury, reviewed Rodrigo Muniz’s contact with Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up. The decision sparked fury from Fulham boss Marco Silva and widespread criticism from pundits, who argued the foul was minimal and did not meet the threshold for a VAR intervention.
"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
VAR Official Stood Down
As a result of the error, Salisbury has been stood down from his scheduled VAR duties for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield. John Brooks has been appointed in his place.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb personally contacted Fulham on Saturday to acknowledge the mistake. Sky Sports News reports that the decision was not in line with the principle of “referee’s call” and did not meet the high bar required for overturning an on-field decision.
BREAKING: The PGMOL have acknowledged that VAR made a mistake in disallowing Josh King's goal for Fulham against Chelsea 🚨 pic.twitter.com/rVwUb5IZJN
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 31, 2025
Fulham’s Frustration
Speaking after the game, Marco Silva was seething.
“Unbelievable decision, unbelievable,” he told reporters. “It is very difficult. I make mistakes, the referee makes mistakes, but when it is black or white, we cannot see something that is not there.”
Silva also voiced frustration at the amount of stoppage time played, saying the match should have ended before Chelsea’s decisive goal. Fulham have declined to comment further following Webb’s call.
“It’s hard enough facing a team that’s spent billions - add VAR backing and shocking officiating, and you’re not even playing football anymore.” - MARCO. #FulhamFC #FFC 🖤🤍
— Fulham FC Ghana (@FulhamGhana) August 30, 2025
pic.twitter.com/EaleDteePf
Pundits React
Former referee Mike Dean criticised the intervention, insisting there was no clear and obvious error:
“I do not think it is a foul — the goal should stand. Rob [Jones] has been sucked in by the VAR. It is a poor, poor call. The VAR should have stayed out of it.”
Dean suggested Salisbury “panicked” rather than trusting the on-field decision.
Chelsea’s View
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca disagreed, insisting the referee’s call was correct:
“I reviewed both actions. From my point of view, it is clear that their player kicked ours. For me it is quite clear that it was a foul.”
Maresca added that he was otherwise disappointed with Chelsea’s first-half performance but satisfied with the result.
Bigger Picture
The incident is the latest in a string of high-profile VAR controversies that have put officials under heavy scrutiny. While PGMOL’s swift admission of error may reassure Fulham, questions continue to be asked about the consistency of VAR usage and the threshold for intervention.
With technology intended to reduce errors instead producing fresh controversies, pressure will only mount on Webb and his officials to restore credibility in the system.
