Joe Cole slams VAR decision to rule out Josh King goal against Chelsea | Football

Joe Cole accused VAR of sanitising football after Josh King’s goal was controversially ruled out during Saturday’s west London derby between Chelsea and Fulham.

The Cottagers appeared to have taken the lead and capitalise on a vivid start when teenager King latched onto Sander Berge’s through ball, twisted away from Tosin Adarabioyo and wrong-footed Robert Sanchez.

King, 18, celebrated gleefully after opening his Premier League account but joy turned to frustration and bemusement when referee Rob Jones was ordered to review the goal on the touchline monitor.

The match official was asked to review an incident earlier within the move which had seen Rodrigo Muniz win possession ahead of Trevoh Chalobah, however the Brazil striker had unwittingly stood on his opponent’s foot.

After a transient deliberation, Jones addressed the Stamford Bridge crowd and disallowed the goal, ruling that Muniz had committed a careless foul, much to the disdain of Cole.

‘To sanitise football like that the child, the 18-year-old Fulham lad has run away to the halfway line celebrating after scoring his first goal within the Premier League,’ Cole said on TNT Sport.

‘To take it off him for that? Like I say, it’s not a tickling contest. I don’t like this nitpicking.

‘He stood on Chalobah’s ankle and there was contact, I can understand the foundations of the sport. It wasn’t a careless challenge, it was just two skilled footballers moving into for a challenge and there was a little bit of contact.

‘I don’t prefer it in football while you’re chalking off goals for that. It makes it too santised.’

More to follow…

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