Antonee Robinson has joined the growing chorus of voices criticising refereeing standards in the Premier League after Fulham were denied a goal in controversial fashion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The flashpoint came midway through the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 win, when Josh King found the net for the visitors.
Celebrations were cut short, however, after referee Rob Jones was told by VAR official Michael Salisbury to review the buildup.
The footage showed Rodrigo Muniz making contact with Trevoh Chalobah near halfway, and following a long pitchside check, Jones disallowed the goal.
Antonee Robinson has joined the growing chorus of voices criticising refereeing standards in the Premier League after Fulham were denied a goal in controversial fashion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday
|GETTY/INSTAGRAM
Fulham players were left stunned, and Robinson has now taken to Instagram to vent his anger.
“If they can check something for 5 minutes and still get it wrong, then what’s actually the point?” the USA international wrote.
“Standard of officiating has been shocking in the Prem for too long now.”
PGMOL later admitted the call had been incorrect, with Salisbury stood down from his next assignment — Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Arsenal — and replaced by John Brooks.
JUST IN: Four things we learnt as Brighton produce stunning comeback to beat Man City
According to reports, the review did not meet the required “clear and obvious” threshold for overturning the on-field decision.
Marco Silva, visibly furious after the match, described the ruling as “unbelievable” and argued that it had fundamentally altered the contest.
“I am not in the best mood to [talk about it], but it was unbelievable how the goal was disallowed,” the Fulham boss said.
**SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY GB NEWS SPORTS NEWSLETTER HERE**
Josh King thought he'd given Fulham the lead in their Premier League clash with Chelsea | REUTERSHe added that he had tried to get an explanation from the referee at half-time: “I asked the referee and he said because we lost time.
"But I checked the eight minutes. The game didn’t stop. It’s very difficult.
"I make mistakes, the referee makes mistakes, but when it is black or white, we cannot see something that is not there.”
Fulham eventually left Stamford Bridge empty-handed, with Chelsea striking twice to claim all three points.
For Robinson and his team-mates, however, the overriding emotion was one of frustration, with the full-back reflecting the wider concern among players and supporters that officiating errors are becoming too frequent.
The controversy comes at a time when VAR is once again under scrutiny in English football, with managers, fans and even former referees questioning whether the technology is being applied in line with its original purpose.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Fulham boss Marco Silva vented his fury at VAR after his side lost 2-0 to Chelsea in the west London derby on Saturday
| REUTERSFor Fulham, meanwhile, the sense lingers that one contentious decision denied them the chance to build momentum in a tough away fixture.
Silva's men are next in action against Leeds on September 13 (3pm).
As for Chelsea, the Blues will lock horns with Brentford that same day (8pm).