Willian scored an injury-time winner from the penalty spot as Wolves were on the wrong end of more video assistant referee controversy in their Premier League defeat at Fulham.
With the score at 2-2 referee Michael Salisbury awarded the match’s third penalty after a VAR review.
Salisbury had initially waved play on after Harry Wilson and Joao Gomes came together in the box, but overturned his call after the VAR advised him to look at the pitch side monitor.
Willian then dispatched his second spot-kick of the half.
Alex Iwobi had opened the scoring in the seventh minute for the hosts, side-footing Antonee Robinson’s cutback through the legs of Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Matheus Cunha equalised for the visitors after 22 minutes, heading in Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s cross after the Frenchman skilfully beat Robinson down the right.
Willian restored Fulham’s lead with the first penalty of the game just before the hour mark after Nelson Semedo had caught Tom Cairney on the edge of the box.
But Wolves soon had a spot-kick of their own inside the final 20 minutes when Tim Reem bundled over Hwang Hee-chan and the South Korea winger struck Wolves’ second equaliser from 12 yards.
Fulham rode their luck and benefitted from another late penalty call to sneak all three points.
VAR in the spotlight once again
It was a tale of three penalties at Craven Cottage.
The first spot-kick referee Salisbury awarded was when Semedo caught Cairney in the area, although the VAR took a lengthy look at the call.
It upheld the on-field decision, even if Semedo did touch the ball as he made contact with Cairney.
About 15 minutes later Wolves won a penalty of their own when a long ball over the top had Hwang sprinting in on goal, but he was caught by Reem inside the area. The VAR had a quicker look at the decision, although the call appeared to be clear-cut.
Salisbury had initially waved play on in stoppage time when Fulham’s Wilson hit the deck, but was sent to his pitchside monitor by the VAR and awarded a third penalty which Willian dispatched.
There was time for a late penalty shout in the dying seconds of the match, when the ball struck the arm of a Fulham defender – albeit accidently – and play was rightly waved on.
The result ended Fulham’s four-match winless run in the Premier League as they recorded their first league victory since beating Sheffield United 3-1 on 7 October.
