Chelsea get new referee verdict on controversial Brentford equaliser as VAR misses key moment

Dermot Gallagher and Jay Bothroyd have disagreed whether or not Brentford's controversial equaliser vs Chelsea should have counted. Fabio Carvalho salvaged a point for Keith Andrews' team at the G-Tech Community Stadium on Saturday night, finding the net in the dying embers of stoppage time.

Kevin Schade, who had fired the Bees ahead in the first half, launched a long throw into the Blues' box. Kristoffer Ajer leapt above a crowd of Chelsea players, nodding the ball towards the back post, where goal-scorer Carvalho was left unmarked.

When the Brentford defender headed the ball, Dango Ouattara, who was in an offside position at the point of contact, interfered with play. The Brentford forward's action impacted Reece James, who lunged to clear the ball, which then fell to Carvalho.

The on-field referee, Stuart Attwell, adjudged Ouattara to have not committed an offside offence, despite having clearly attempted to play the ball and impacting an opponent in close proximity. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) quickly reviewed the incident and stuck with the call.

James Bell believed that the offside offence was subjective, and he didn't consider it to be a 'clear and obvious error'. On Sky Sports' Ref Watch show, Gallagher discussed whether Brentford's equaliser should have stood.

The former Premier League referee said: "I think it's a good goal. Being in an offside position isn't an offence in itself. Has he touched the ball? No. Has he interfered with an opponent? I think not.

"We've seen this happen before in the Premier League, where the VAR has to decide to send him or not and, at this point, he decides not to send him because he feels Ouattara hasn't impacted on the defender."

Bothroyd disagreed with Gallagher, though. The former Premier League striker said: "I disagree with that one. I think Ouattara has definitely interfered there.

"He's actually reached for the ball, the ball has bounced in between him, the other attacking player and Reece James and then gone all the way through. He reaches for the ball, which impacts James.

"You can't see any real touch from him but, ultimately, the fact he's gone for it means he's affected play. If the flick-on initially went to the goal-scorer there, he wouldn't interfere in play, but the fact it has dropped right in between the players is interference. That would bother me as a player."

After the game, journalists at the G-Tech Community Stadium asked Maresca about Brentford's threat from long throw-ins. The Chelsea manager said: "The problem is that they have [Michael] Kayode, they have [Mathias] Jensen, they have [Ethan] Pinnock, and then Schade at the end.

"These three players, they were already out. The only one on the pitch was Schade. And unfortunately, we just conceded in the last two minutes.

"But during the game, I think we tried to deal with that, knowing that they are so dangerous, because they can arrive in the six-yard box very easily."

On whether Brentford's equaliser should have counted, Maresca said: "I didn't watch back. I asked in the changing room to my coaching staff why the VAR reviewed the second goal. I didn't watch back, to be honest. I don't know."

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