Wolves hosted Southampton in a huge relegation six-pointer at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Wolves started the day in 20th position, one point and one place behind the Saints, who were looking to condemn the Wanderers to further misery.
Heading into this match, the Old Gold were winless in their opening 10 games, as Gary O’Neil was put under increasing pressure to clinch all three points, otherwise, he faced the sack.
O’Neil’s men got off to the best start possible when Matheus Cunha drove forward inside the first two minutes, and played the ball through to Pablo Sarabia, who rounded Aaron Ramsdale to score.
Wolves have had a habit of throwing away leads this term, though, and the visitors issued a quick response, as Ryan Manning slammed the ball past Jose Sa after the ball ricocheted in the box.
The majority inside Molineux would have feared the worst at this point however, the goal was eventually disallowed after a VAR review, with a Premier League statement explaining why.
Why Ryan Manning’s goal was disallowed in Wolves vs Southampton
Manning’s cannon of a strike in the 14th minute got Russell Martin’s men back on level terms but before he slammed the ball home, Matheus Fernandes collided with Nelson Semedo in the box.
The Premier League Match Centre account on X has explained that, while a goal was given on-field, Fernandes’ foul on Semedo was the main reason why a goal was disallowed.
“Manning’s goal was awarded on-field. The VAR deemed that there was a foul by Fernandes on Semedo in the build-up and recommended an on-field review. The referee overturned the original decision and play restarted with a Wolves free-kick,” the statement read.
While O’Neil would have been delighted to see the original decision get overturned, Saints boss Martin would have been seething as the contact was soft.
Wolves thanking VAR for once
Wolves have been on the receiving end of some poor decisions involving VAR but on this occasion, they will have been thankful for the technology, as that equaliser could have changed the complexion of the match.
Considering Wolves have previously called for VAR to be scrapped, seeing it used and disallowing the visitors’ goal would have pleased the majority inside Molineux.
In the context of their season and O’Neil’s future, coming to that decision could have huge ramifications, and that is ultimately why most clubs wanted the technology to stay.
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