Mark Clattenburg gives clear verdict on highly controversial Man City winner vs Wolves
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has given his thoughts on the controversial late winner scored by John Stones in Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Wolves
by Matthew Cooper · The MirrorMark Clattenburg insists referee Chris Kavanagh was right to award Manchester City's controversial winner against Wolves.
City beat Wolves 2-1 thanks to a late header from John Stones which was initially ruled out after Bernardo Silva was deemed to be offside and interfering with Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa. However, Kavanagh overturned his decision after reviewing the goal on the pitchside monitor following a VAR check.
The decision has attracted plenty of controversy, with former City players Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge admitting they felt Silva had "affected the play". However, former Premier League referee Clattenburg has defended Kavanagh's decision.
"Chris Kavanagh was completely correct in making sure the winner stood," Clattenburg wrote in a column for the Daily Mail. "Yes, Bernardo Silva was in an offside position when John Stones crashed his header beyond Jose Sa, but there's more to it.
"You have to pose yourself the same questions Kavanagh will have asked himself at the pitchside monitor. Firstly, was Silva blocking Sa's line of vision? The answer is no, because when you see the freeze frame, he's dived out of the way to make sure of that.
"Secondly, does Silva impact Sa's ability to play the ball at the precise moment that Stones makes contact? Again, the answer is no, as the header goes straight through the goalkeeper.
"It was telling that there were no protests from Sa or any Wolves players. It was only once Gary O'Neil and his coaching staff had watched the replay that they hoped to find a reason — any reason — to get the goal disallowed."
The Premier League match centre also released a statement on social media explaining the process behind the decision. "Stones' goal was disallowed on-field due to Bernardo Silva being in an offside position and in the goalkeeper's line of vision," they said.
"The VAR deemed Bernardo Silva wasn't in the line of vision and had no impact on the goalkeeper and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned his original decision and a goal was awarded."
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