Does WSL need VAR? Aston Villa players FUME after Arsenal score controversial goal with referee missing offside AND handball before Stina Blackstenius finds the net
Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly was seen remonstrating with officials after the controversial award of Stina Blackstenius’s goal for Arsenal in their WSL clash on Sunday.
The Gunners claimed a 3-1 win at Villa Park which saw them stay remain on the coattails of joint-leaders Chelsea and Manchester City but the manner of their victory reignited the debate on whether VAR should be introduced at the highest level of women’s football in England.
Villa were left aggrieved after Blackstenius netted the clinching goal for the visitors, having received the ball in an offside position before inadvertently handling it following a slip.
The two incidents were missed by referee Stacey Pearson as well as assistants Laura Van Lier and Matt Eva.
Daly was seen in dialogue with the officials after the final whistle, pleading her side’s case as Carla Ward’s team remained in seventh place with five games left to play.
Rachel Daly had words with officials after the game following the controversial award of Arsenal’s third goal at Villa Park
Stina Blackstenius was in an offside position and then handled the ball after falling before rising to slot past Anna Leat in the Villa goal
The Gunners striker latched onto a through ball when she was stood in an offside position
The Swede then handled the ball after she slipped while trying to create space for a shot
However, the Lioness could count herself fortunate not to have conceded a penalty in the 70th minute when the score was level for a clear foul on her England teammate Alessia Russo.
Indeed, it was a weekend of several incorrect calls for officials in the WSL with West Ham denied a legitimate strike in their 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday and City benefitting from an offside goal in a 3-1 Manchester derby win over United.
Red Devils boss Marc Skinner bemoaned Jess Parker’s opener at the Etihad and suggested that he would welcome the use of VAR in the league.
‘It’s hard because of course it would affect this actual decision,’ he post-match. ‘And there’s probably other games where it affects other decisions.
‘I just don’t think it can stand a goal like that. A derby is a huge game. If the second goal is their first and then the third, you take your medicine, right?
‘But when the first one goes in, it just swung the momentum that Man City have going into the end of the first half, momentum when they didn’t have.
‘We could trap them to the sides pretty quickly and I felt they played within their shells until that first goal came out.
‘And then it changes the game. The cliche is goals change games but it definitely did in this case.’
West Ham were denied a legitimate goal in their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner bemoaned the goal that should not have stood in his side’s 3-1 loss to rivals Man City
At Villa Park, Ebony Salmon gave the home side the lead after 35 minutes before Victoria Pelova hit back for the Gunners.
Jonas Eidevall’s team were made to work for their victory and eventually went in front in the 84th minute through Lotte Wubben-Moy before Blackstenius’s controversial effort secured the points two minutes later.
