'I feel sad' - Fulham boss Marco Silva laments VAR decisions against Chelsea - he has to stop the game, respect the rules'
Updated 30/08/2025 at 18:34 GMT+1
An upset and frustrated Marco Silva said he was "sad" about the decision-making from VAR and the referee after Fulham's 2-0 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League. Several decisions went against Fulham, causing Silva and the travelling Fulham support to fume in anger. The Portuguese manager said that Josh King's opener being disallowed was "unbelievable."
Watch frustrated Silva's full interview as Fulham boss bemoans VAR and officiating
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Marco Silva said he felt sad after Fulham's 2-0 loss to Chelsea, which was overshadowed by a succession of refereeing and VAR decisions that went against his side.
Fulham's 18-year-old Josh King saw what would have been his first Premier League goal disallowed due to a "careless challenge" in the build-up, a decision TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole called "sanitising football".
Chelsea's opening goal came deep into added time of the first half, and after the initial eight minutes, with Silva believing the half should have ended.
For The Blues' second goal, referee Rob Jones gave a penalty for a Ryan Sessegnon handball, despite what appeared to be handball by Joao Pedro moments prior.
Silva was enraged throughout the game, but was calm as he delivered a hefty explanation of how he felt after the contentious loss.
"For someone that loves football, as a manager, former player, as a fan sometimes, I feel sad really," he said.
"It's clear, it's a special game for everybody in the best competition in the world, with millions of people watching on TV. I saw my team playing outstanding football in the first half, playing football, not trying to be fake or parking the bus."
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He continued: "We know the difference on the pitch, the financial point of view, the size and all that stuff, they are on a different planet. But on the pitch we know what we are capable of and I think we showed that. The boys were outstanding.
"After what happened last week with us, all that controversy in the game against Man United, all the decisions with VAR that people cannot understand. One goes in one direction, the other goes in a different direction. Similar things for the opposition, for us, they decide in a different way.
"We are always here to learn, to make our players understand things, but if there's no direction it's almost impossible for me to make them feel it's going to be balanced in the end."
Fulham brought the game to life midway through the first half when King scored his impressive solo effort only to be denied by VAR.
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Watch as teenager King scores stunning first Fulham goal - only to be denied by VAR
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A lengthy pitch-side review ensued, and it was in those eight minutes added on at the end of the first half that Pedro headed Chelsea in front.
The call incensed Silva and the Fulham supporters who had made their way to Stamford Bridge, and they shared the view of TNT Sports' panel on commentary that Rodrigo Muniz had accidentally stepped on the Chelsea defender while trying to evade a tackle, and the situation was unavoidable.
"Performance-wise, outstanding in the first half," Silva continued. "All the decisions from the VAR, all the decisions from the ref, it made a massive impact on the game. And the second half was not at a level I would like to see our team.
"I told them, we cannot control all the decisions that go against us. How you disallow a goal like that one is unbelievable. Unbelievable.
"We have meetings with the referees and the people that are in charge that we all respect, all of us want to win. But we go there to see the direction on things. One of the main things is that VAR is not here to referee the game, it's to see things clear. For us and I think for all the world, it was unbelievable to disallow that goal."
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King denied 'one of the best things I've ever felt' after 'perfectly good goal' ruled out
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The Fulham boss attempted to slow himself down and said he would "prefer to say nothing more" for fear of being punished, but candidly revealed an interaction he had with the referee at the end of the first half.
"The first goal, for example," Silva said. "Eight minutes of extra time, first corner. After the first corner it was already nine minutes. They had the first corner in the eighth minute. They want the second corner, it's already nine minutes. He has to stop the game, respect the rules. He has to stop the game. I'm not saying it's my opinion, by the rules.
"I asked the referee, he told me 'we lost time because I was speaking with one player'. I checked the eight minutes, the game didn't stop one second. What can I say to you? I'm the manager, I try to do the best with my football club. Okay, Chelsea won the game, we move on."
Chelsea's second goal saw another lengthy wait for VAR to make a decision on Sessegnon's and Pedro's handballs.
It was then established that Sessegnon had made his body "unnaturally bigger" in blocking the cross and a penalty was awarded.
"It's very difficult," Silva said. "There's so many things for me to say. I make mistakes, the referee can make mistakes. The Premier League is so intense, so tough, all that stuff. But when it's black or white, it has to be black or white.
"I would like to understand, because for me it's more about understanding the decisions and how they follow the protocols. That is the main thing for me because sometimes I'm going to be pleased with the results and other times it's going to be against me like today, like this afternoon. In eight days, two things that are impossible for us to understand is too much for us."
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Highlights: VAR controversy dominates as Chelsea claim derby win over Fulham
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