Gary O'Neil insisted USMNT star Tim Ream "should have been sent off" during Fulham's win over Wolves as he blasted a series of VAR decisions.
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O'Neil lost faith in VARSaid USMNT star Ream should have seen redFulham beat Wolves 3-2WHAT HAPPENED?
The Wolves boss was left fuming after the club's 3-2 defeat against Fulham on Monday, as he believes poor refereeing cost his team important points. O'Neil called out VAR's mistakes during the match and claimed that Fulham and USMNT star Tim Ream deserved a second yellow card for his challenge on Hwang Hee-chan, which resulted in a penalty. He even went on to say that the match has finally turned him against the use of technology.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT GARY O'NEIL SAID
Speaking to after the match, O'Neil said: "Maybe tonight has finally turned me against VAR. The impact that you are having on my reputation, and the club and people's livelihoods is massive. We should be able to talk about the game and not decisions, but unfortunately, we can't. I think it is a really complex [issue]. I have always been for VAR but I think it is causing problems at the moment. I think VAR has cost us there.
"We have discussed a lot of decisions. Vinicius should have been off for headbutting Max [Kilman]. Ream should have been sent off for a second bookable offence on the penalty. They are my opinions. Nelson [Semedo] plays the ball and doesn't touch Cairney. The referee says he felt that was wrong and he should have been sent to the monitor. That doesn't help me. So that one has been pretty much admitted that it was a mistake. The Wilson one we disagree. I feel it was soft. For all four decisions to go against us is tough to take and we didn't deserve that."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
This is not the first time that refereeing decisions have gone against Wolves in the 2023-24 season. In their season opener against Manchester United, they were denied a penalty despite a rough challenge from Andre Onana inside the box, and as a consequence, the match officials were dropped from the next round of matches.
In another such incident in October during their clash against Newcastle, referee Anthony Taylor mistakenly handed the Magpies a penalty and was subsequently sent to officiate in the Championship.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WOLVES?
Currently 12th in the league with 15 points from 13 matches, Wolves will next face league leaders Arsenal in a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday. Ream, meanwhile, will be back in action with Fulham against Liverpool a day later.