Fulham 3-2 Wolves: Willian's penalty double earns hosts win in penalty-riddled affair
Willian's 94th-minute penalty kick, his second of the game, gave Fulham a 3-2 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday after a penalty-fuelled second half that Wolves boss Gary O'Neil claimed had turned him against VAR.
Alex Iwobi gave Fulham the lead after seven minutes with a delicate finish, turning Antonee Robinson's cut-back through Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa's legs from close range.
On 22 minutes, the visitors equalized thanks to brilliant play by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who beat Robinson twice down the right before finding Matheus Cunha unmarked to nod home.
Fulham took the lead on 59 minutes thanks to Willian's first penalty after a Nelson Semedo challenge on Tom Cairney was ruled a foul despite there being minimal contact.
Hwang Hee-chan was then bundled over in the box by Fulham captain Tim Ream and leveled from the spot on 75 minutes for his seventh league goal of the season.
However, VAR awarded a penalty for Joao Gomes' clumsy challenge on substitute Harry Wilson late in the game, with Willian sending Sa the wrong way and Craven Cottage into raptures.
Fulham moved up to 14th in the table with the win, their first in five league games. Wolves remained in 12th place with the same number of points.
Wolves have already been on the wrong side of VAR several times this season, and manager O'Neil believes Monday's game may have "finally turned me against VAR."
He told Sky Sports that after the game, he spoke with referee Michael Salisbury, who admitted he should have been sent to the VAR monitor for Fulham's first penalty.
O'Neil also told reporters that Ream should have received a second yellow card after giving away a penalty, and that Carlos Vinicius of Fulham should have been sent off for a headbutt on Max Kilman.
"You can argue that two of them could go against us but all four go against us. It's a tough one for the lads, supporters and myself to take. We've been here a lot this season. We didn't deserve that," O'Neil continued.
Fulham manager Marco Silva told Sky Sports that the third and deciding spot kick was "a clear penalty," but that "the first for us and the one for them were a little more soft."
SportsLigue