Respected Sky Sports pundits name-drop Wolves in furious Premier League rant

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Gary O’Neil have every right to be angry with the Premier League, pundits on Sky Sports show Ref Watch have unanimously agreed in a live rant. Made to settle for just one point in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle United, Wolves conceded a highly controversial penalty that changed the momentum of the tie.

Old Gold winger Hwang Hee-chan was adjudged by referee Anthony Taylor to bring down Toon defender Fabian Schar in the box but replays showed the contact was minimal. VAR checked the incident repeatedly for a couple of minutes but eventually decided to stick with the on-field decision. This didn’t go down well with the supporters or manager Gary O’Neil, to say the least.

Even most Newcastle fans have since agreed it shouldn’t have been a penalty. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and ex-Wolves defender Stephen Warnock have now weighed in on the decision as they spoke passionately on Ref Watch.

“It’s not a penalty for me. I can see why the referee gave it but when you look at it again, just from one replay, you can see it’s not a foul. The fact it’s looked at so many times and I can’t see a foul – it’s not a penalty,” Gallagher admitted.

Warnock, meanwhile, looked at the bigger picture and the implications of the call. “I’m completely losing faith with VAR and the decision-making. It’s getting worse. Howard Webb came in all guns blazing to make it better and clear lines of communication. But it’s not. It’s regressed. It’s not improved at all and it’s getting concerning,” Warnock said.

“How it’s not overturned is astonishing. If you’re Gary O’Neil you’re thinking that’s now three big decisions changing Wolves’ season. We’re meant to be the best league in football but our refereeing and VAR is letting the game down,” Warnock continued.

This isn’t the first time this season that Wolves have felt hugely aggrieved by an officiating mistake as O’Neil’s debut, away at Manchester United, saw Wanderers denied a penalty in added time. Jon Moss, the referees’ manager, later admitted it was the wrong call. Nonetheless, Wanderers remain in 12th with a dozen points from their opening 10 fixtures.