‘Not fair to fans’ – how VAR denied Burnley one of greatest comebacks

For a few seconds, Burnley fans were celebrating what looked like being one of the Premier League’s greatest ever comebacks – and new hope of a miraculous survival.

Zian Flemming had just poked the Clarets into a 78th-minute 4-3 lead, having trailed Brentford 3-0 in the first half, and looked set to become just the sixth Premier League team to have recovered from 3-0 down to win.

That was until Jaidon Anthony, who crossed for Flemming to score, had his shoulder ruled offside in the build-up by the video assistant referee (VAR).

To add to Burnley’s woes – after the visitors had retaken the lead – Scott Parker’s side thought they had earned a stoppage-time point only for Ashley Barnes to have an equaliser ruled out for a debatable handball after a five-minute VAR review.

Alan Shearer, who is a pundit on BBC’s Match of the Day on Saturday, said the handball law is not “fit for purpose” and “isn’t fair” on the fans.

This loss, described by manager Parker as “heartbreaking”, leaves Burnley eight points from safety.

Burnley’s first heartbreak came in the 78th minute when Flemming thought he had bundled them into a 4-3 lead, but the offside flag quickly followed.

Anthony, scorer of Burnley’s second goal, was offside by the width of his shoulder, something he described as “disappointing”.

“I’ve seen the one where I’m offside. It’s my shoulder, I think,” Anthony said.

“I’m sure if I scored with that part of my body, it wouldn’t have been a goal. It’s disappointing.”

Parker was philosophical when talking about the “fine margins of technology”.

He said: “It was heartbreaking for us, really, because we deserved that.

“VAR and the fine margins of technology to the inch of a sleeve, calling something offside is the game of football we live in now. So we accept that. That’s the way it is.”

But could this rule soon change?

Fast forward to the 99th minute and with Burnley now trailing 4-3, Turf Moor was sent into raptures as Barnes thought he had equalised with the final kick of the game.

Fans were left waiting for five minutes as VAR attempted to determine whether the ball struck the arm of Barnes in the build-up to his goal.

The VAR decision of ‘accidental handball’ led to Shearer describing the rule as “messed up in every single way”.

“I just hate the handball rule. Whether it’s today’s decision at Burnley or any of the other controversial ones this season, they have messed it up.

“Now, they’ll say that things are better in the Premier League than they are abroad, but that doesn’t wash with me.

“It is so messed up in every single way, there is ‘deliberate’, ‘proximity’, ‘natural’, ‘unnatural’ – there are so many different ways they have to interpret things and it isn’t fit for purpose.

“For fans to be sat in the stadium and waiting for three, four minutes, or for however long it took today at Turf Moor, it doesn’t seem right and it isn’t fair.”

Despite tasting defeat, Parker was restrained in his response to the decision.

“Maybe a little bit of injustice. I’ve not watched it back. I saw it on the big screen and I was thinking it looks like his hand is beside his side,” he said.

“I don’t want to say too much because no doubt I’m going to get quoted and I might be wrong. It looks so, so harsh.

“In the modern day, we want perfection. Of course, there are elements of it that make it what it is. I’ve not seen it back, but offside is offside and if it’s handball, it’s handball.”

Former Premier League official Darren Cann said despite Barnes’ handball being accidental, it was “correctly disallowed”.

“The handball law states that if a player scores in the opponents’ goal immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental, then it’s a handball offence,” he said.

“Barnes’ handball was accidental, but was correctly disallowed under the current law.

Bottom side Wolves are all but relegated after picking up just 13 points from 29 games and Burnley are only six points ahead of them in 18th.

Nineteen points at this stage of the season for Burnley means survival is incredibly unlikely, but three points against the Bees after mounting an unbelievable comeback would have put the question out there.

Could Burnley pull off a great escape?

It is looking unlikely. Defeat means Burnley sit eight points from safety, having played a game more than Nottingham Forest.