Premier League Justifies VAR Decision Behind John Stones' Late Goal Against Wolves

John Stones’ late goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers gave Manchester City yet another exciting victory. It nearly didn’t stand as Referee Chris Kavanagh first disallowed the goal, but it was later allowed. City regained it’s position at the top of the Premier League table when VAR intervened and the goal was given after a closer examination. However, why was the goal finally allowed?

Stones headed the ball into the net late into the injury time as Manchester City was desperate and determined to find a winning goal. The City fans, believing their team had won the three points, let out a loud and joyful celebration. However, their happiness was short-lived when the referee disallowed the goal with a whistle blow. Referee Chris Kavanagh declared that Bernardo Silva was offside and interfering with play because he was standing close to Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.

Because Silva was allegedly obstructing the goalkeeper’s view as Stones headed the ball, Stones’ goal was disallowed.

VAR official Stuart Atwell, however, had a different view. He requested that Kavanagh use the pitchside monitor to check the decision, which usually signals a change to the initial call. Upon reviewing the video once again, Kavanagh changed his mind and allowed the goal.

Why Was the Goal Allowed?

The Premier League explained that the main focus was whether Silva’s offside position was interfering with Jose Sa’s ability to make a save. According to Kavanagh’s initial call, Silva was obstructing Sa’s field of vision, which made it more difficult for the Wolves keeper to see and react to Stones’ header.

But after watching the video, VAR concluded that Silva wasn’t blocking Sa’s line of sight. Stones hit the ball with his head while Silva, who is shorter than most players on the pitch, was ducking. Additionally, Silva wasn’t standing directly in front of Sa; instead, he was a little to his side. VAR came to the conclusion that Silva’s positioning had no effect on the goalkeeper’s ability to stop the shot because of these circumstances.

#WOLMCI – 95’ VAR OVERTURN

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

— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) October 20, 2024

Both Manchester City players and fans celebrated when Kavanagh awarded the goal with the new details.