All eyes on Burnley v Sheffield United officials after yet more VAR controversy in Wolves' defeat at Fulham

The video assistant referee for Sheffield United's trip to Burnley this weekend will be under even more scrutiny than usual after a number of his decisions were criticised during Wolves' defeat at Fulham last night. Gary O'Neil's side lost 3-2 at Craven Cottage, with Willian's stoppage-time penalty denying them a point in the capital.

Stuart Attwell was on duty at Stockley Park for the game and sent on-field referee Michael Salisbury to the pitchside monitor after initial penalty appeals had been waved away as Harry Wilson went down under the challenge of Joao Gomes in the box. After reviewing footage Salisbury gave a penalty - the third of the game - while O'Neil felt his side were on the wrong end of four decisions throughout the game.

O'Neil felt Fulham's first penalty shouldn't have been given, for a foul by Nelson Semedo on Tom Cairney, and that Tim Ream should have been sent off after bringing down Hwang Hee-Chan in the box for Wolves' own spot kick. Carlos Vinicius - who escaped a red card against United at Craven Cottage despite appearing to elbow Auston Trusty in the back - again wasn't sent off despite headbutting Max Kilman, before the late penalty drama that left O'Neil fuming once more.

Attwell is the VAR for United's trip to Turf Moor this weekend, while Leigh Doughty is on fourth official duties. Doughty was the referee for United's FA Cup tie against Wrexham last season, after which then-United skipper Billy Sharp was fined by the FA for his comments about Doughty's performance. United boss Paul Heckingbottom said Doughty, who gave Wrexham two penalties and failed to give United the most obvious of all three, had “done his best to get himself on Disney+ with some of his decision making”, in reference to Wrexham's documentary.

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The man in the middle at Turf Moor will be Chris Kavanagh - whose last United game was also at Turf Moor, a 1-0 Burnley win back in December 2021. O'Neil, who was left raging after the decision to award United a late penalty earlier this month to give them their first win of the season deep into injury time, was left asking "what is the point of VAR?" after the latest calls went against his side.

"I don't think it's helped the game," he said. "I think the ref would have done a better job on his own. I don't think VAR helped him but in fact it hindered him. Sending him to the screen for one and not to the other, not advising him there is a headbutt or that Tim Ream should receive a red card. What is the point in VAR?

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"They said they got the Harry Wilson one right There's minimal contact and I don't think there's enough. Earlier, Nelson plays the ball, and doesn't touch Tom Cairney. I watched it back with the referee, and to be fair to him he says he thinks they've got that wrong and he should have been sent to the monitor.

"It doesn't help me. It doesn't help all the fans that have travelled all this way to watch the team. It doesn't help the players who are feeling frustrated again. The Nelson one has pretty much been admitted by the referee that there was a mistake. It's bad luck that it keeps going against us, but there are bad refereeing decisions in there.

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"I'm trying to remain calm. I'm not angry with anybody. I'm not in there abusing people. It's literally a conversation around: 'Come on, guys, it's six, seven points now that have gone against us, I'm managing a big football club here, and the difference that you're making to my reputation, to the club's progression up the league, to people's livelihoods is huge'.

"It can't be that with all the technology and all the time and the biggest league in the world that we're getting so many wrong. It can't be okay. I've always been for VAR but I think it's causing a big problem at the moment. Maybe tonight has finally turned me against VAR when I thought it would probably help. But it doesn't seem to be."