The former Premier League referee, Mark Halsey, criticized Craig Pawson’s performance during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa over the weekend. The match saw a last-minute goal disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up.
Villa took a 2-0 lead in the first half. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s team talk appeared to spark Chelsea into action, resulting in Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher scoring to level the score.
Chelsea thought they had secured a late winner when Axel Disasi scored, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review. Halsey expressed bafflement at the VAR intervention, as he believed the initial call was not a clear and obvious error.
He argued that Pawson should have awarded a free kick to Villa straight away if he believed it was a foul. Halsey also criticized the use of VAR to re-referee the game, stating that it should not be the purpose of the technology in the Premier League.
Halsey’s critique suggested that Pawson’s reliance on VAR for important decisions was not in line with how the system should be used. The controversial disallowance of Chelsea’s late goal left Pochettino and his squad furious, and Halsey’s remarks highlighted the dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation.