Premier League: Stones scores controversial winner
Wolves 1 - 2 Manchester City
The Premier League champions secured their sixth win in eight games this season with a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
The match ended in controversy when John Stones scored a dramatic header in the 95th minute from Phil Foden’s corner. Initially, the goal was disallowed for offside, but after a VAR review, referee Chris Kavanagh reversed the decision, allowing the goal to stand, much to Wolves' frustration.
Earlier in the match, Josko Gvardiol equalised for the hosts after Jorgen Strand Larsen had given Wolves the lead. Unfortunately for Wolves, they remain winless this season and currently sit at the bottom of the Premier League table.
What happened then?
In the final seconds of stoppage time, Foden delivered a corner kick that Stones headed powerfully into the net.
However, as the Manchester City players celebrated, the linesman raised his flag to signal an offside, noting that Bernardo Silva was standing in front of Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa when the ball crossed the line.
The VAR reviewed the offside decision and advised referee Kavanagh to check the pitchside monitor. Replays indicated that Silva ducked and was not obstructing Sa's line of sight, leading Kavanagh to award the goal.
Explained: Premier League statement reveals why John Stones goal stood in Wolves vs Man City after VAR controversy https://t.co/zxyIujt81O #wwfc #wolves
— Molineux News (@Molineux_News) October 20, 2024
Replays of the incident showed Bernardo Silva leaning into and nudging his Portugal teammate, goalkeeper José Sá, just as the corner was taken.
Initially, the goal was disallowed for offside, but since you can't be offside from a corner, the decision was reviewed. By the time John Stones made contact with the ball, Silva had already moved away from Sá and was judged not to be obstructing the keeper's vision or movement towards the ball.
However, there’s room for debate as to whether Silva should have been penalised for fouling the goalkeeper in the lead-up to the goal.
The Premier League Match Centre posted this on Twitter/X
2Stones’ goal was disallowed on-field due to Bernardo Silva being in an offside position and in the goalkeeper’s line of vision. The VAR deemed Bernardo Silva wasn’t in the line of vision and had no impact on the goalkeeper and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned his original decision and a goal was awarded."
#WOLMCI – 95’ VAR OVERTURN
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) October 20, 2024
Stones’ goal was disallowed on-field due to Bernardo Silva being in an offside position and in the goalkeeper’s line of vision. The VAR deemed Bernardo Silva wasn’t in the line of vision and had no impact on the goalkeeper and recommended an on-field… pic.twitter.com/4o1AHBWyzb
My reaction to this controversy
Bernardo Silva timed his move perfectly. By the time the header went in, he had already moved away from the goalkeeper. It’s as if he's saying, 'I’ve done my part but haven’t interfered'.
However, I do think he had some influence on the keeper, even if it was subtle. It’s all about the timing of when the header was made.
