THE SHOCKING REASON WOLVES FANS PROTESTED AGAINST FOSUN DURING THE BRENTFORD CLASH
A dark day at Molineux: Wolves fall to Brentford 2-0 amid fan protests, owner resignations, and a missed late penalty.
Wolves had a terrible Christmas, hitting a Premier League low after their 10th straight loss. Brentford beat them 2-0 at Molineux, with Keane Lewis-Potter scoring twice.
Rob Edwards' team couldn't repeat their near-miss against Arsenal from last week, and their awful, winless season start just kept going.
Mistakes let Lewis-Potter score twice in what was a messy and boring game. Wolves are dead last with only two points from 17 games going into Christmas.
That's as bad as Sheffield United in 2020/21, but they'd played fewer games then.
Wolves fans were mad, chanting, "You're not fit to wear the shirt." To top it off, Jorgen Strand-Larsen had a late penalty saved by goalie Caoimhin Kelleher, and the game ended with loud boos.
Before the game, the stadium was quiet in remembrance of Ethan McLeod, a 21-year-old who came up through the academy. He died in a car crash on his way back from Macclesfield’s game on Tuesday.
His family and friends stood by the field, along with his brother Conor, who plays for Wolves' Under-21s.
Edwards made some lineup changes, but a promising start faded fast. Brentford ended up controlling the ball more than usual.
In the 18th minute, fans held up signs that said "Our Club," asking the owners, Fosun, to sell after Jeff Shi stepped down as chairman.
Soon after, Kelleher tipped a shot over the bar, but it wasn't until the 32nd minute that either team actually took a shot—the longest wait in a Premier League game in six years.
There was only one shot on goal in the first half, and Jose Sa saved Lewis-Potter's shot.
Early in the second half, the Wolves' goalie stopped Kevin Schade twice.
But Wolves fans could see what was coming and started singing about old club legends just as Brentford scored in the 63rd minute. It could have been avoided.
Vitaly Janelt's hopeful ball bounced over Ladislav Krejci, and Lewis-Potter smashed the loose ball home.
Wolves tried to tie the game, but Brentford almost scored again.
It didn't take Brentford long to score again, though. In the 83rd minute, Lewis-Potter stretched to turn in a cross.
Many Wolves fans left, but those who stayed saw their team get a late penalty. Kelleher was called for a foul on Matt Doherty.
VAR checked the call and agreed, but Strand Larsen's penalty was saved after a strange run-up, and Wolves fans questioned his technique.
The game ended with loud boos at Molineux.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.