Express & Star

Gary O'Neil has say on Wolves' latest VAR controversy

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been left frustrated that VAR did not send off two Brentford players in their VAR clash.

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Joao Gomes (Getty)

Th visitors were down to 10 men after nine minutes when Joao Gomes was controversially sent off.

But O'Neil was less concerned about that decision and more perplexed by Mikkel Damsgaard not being sent off for a poor tackle on Tommy Doyle and Keane Lewis-Potter not being sent off for grabbing Nelson Semedo around the throat.

O'Neil said: “I know Joao very, very well so I have that in my mind when I'm talking about it and I know that he would never, that it would look bad, slowed down I would guess, with the nature of his foot coming down onto the part of the leg that he catches Norgaard on. It's a nasty place to be kicked, especially with the studs.

“So I hope Norgaard is OK, and I understand when it's slowed down, it probably doesn't look great.

“But I know Joao and he's not meant for it to land like that. It's one of those things in football where he's probably a fraction late and he's unfortunate as to where his foot's landed and, and where he's caught Norgaard.

“So no real complaints on the awarding of the red card I think could have been a yellow, could have been a red and they, they've landed on red. Sothat is what it is.

“I'm really surprised that Brentford escaped two red cards. I thought the tackle on Tommy Doyle and the far touchline was equally as bad as Joao’s.

“I think it was studs again over the ball straight down, straight leg on Tommy.

“I thought that was a poor tackle. Not that I want to see red cards, but if one is, I would expect the other one to be.

“And then I thought Lewis-Potter grabbing Nelson around the throat at the end was a nailed on red card.

“I can't believe that VAR decided that it wasn't. But I think trying to focus on my team and what we gave and VAR is not my problem, not my thing to fix.

“I'm sure they'll have a chat around what they think it shouldn't or shouldn't have been.

“It's just the impact it can have on a season. So we now miss one of our best midfielders for three important games and one of our rivals in the league, Brentford in and around us in the league, they get to keep both of their players available for the next three.

“So it can have a big impact on seasons, decisions like that, not just an impact on this evening.

“So hopefully they take it as seriously as that because it can have a big impact.

“But then back to the group, I thought it would have been very easy to just roll over and accept tonight wasn't our night?

“But we came out second half and looked just as likely to score as Brentford, maybe slightly more likely and there were some incredible performances in there."