Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has supported the decision to disallow John McGinn’s goal during Aston Villa’s recent 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, applauding the VAR process involved in making the call. This decision, according to Gallagher, highlighted the critical role of VAR in ensuring accuracy, even in the most minute aspects of the game.
The match saw Unai Emery’s Villa side encounter a setback reminiscent of their Champions League struggles, as Ross Barkley’s late goal was cancelled out by an Evanilson equalizer in the sixth minute of stoppage time. A victory would have propelled Villa above Arsenal into third place by the weekend’s conclusion, underscoring the importance of each point in the fiercely competitive Premier League race. However, a pivotal moment earlier in the game saw McGinn denied a goal following a VAR review, which determined that the ball had crossed the byline for a goal kick before Ollie Watkins could deliver it to McGinn.
Gallagher, in his analysis on Sky Sports’ *Ref Watch*, emphasized that Watkins’ own reaction seemed to indicate awareness that the ball had indeed gone out of play. “If you watch Ollie Watkins, he comes back with the ball, and it looks like it’s out,” Gallagher noted, identifying Watkins’ apparent hesitation as a key clue. “When McGinn scores, Watkins just stands there. I think he expects it to be disallowed.”
Praising the assistant referee’s handling of the play, Gallagher explained that allowing the sequence to continue to its conclusion enabled VAR official Matt Donohue to intervene accurately. According to Gallagher, the assistant referee couldn’t be faulted for missing the play in real-time, given how quickly Watkins retrieved and passed the ball. “I can understand why the assistant didn’t pick it up. It happened so quickly. Watkins brought the ball back so quickly, and the assistant has to be confident the entire ball crossed the line,” Gallagher elaborated. “We often see corners where the ball overhangs the line. In this case, the assistant was correct not to make the call, allowing VAR to step in.”
Stephen Warnock, a former Villa defender, echoed Gallagher’s assessment, emphasizing that the replay demonstrated VAR’s value in making tight, close calls. Warnock, who attended the game, initially doubted the ball had gone out but acknowledged the decisive role that slow-motion VAR replay had in confirming the decision. “I was at this game, and I saw this, and thought: ‘Oh, I’m not sure this has gone out,’” Warnock recounted. “But that’s the beauty of VAR. When you slow it down, you can see there’s just enough daylight between the ball and the line to confirm it. Watching it at normal speed wouldn’t have provided that clarity.”
The goal-line technology, typically used for verifying goals, has yet to be adapted for touchline and byline calls. As the debate around technological assistance in football continues, Gallagher was asked if similar technology should be implemented along the bylines and touchlines for quicker decisions. However, he was quick to highlight that VAR essentially fills that role when checking goal situations.
“Effectively, we have that technology, because VAR was able to pick it up,” Gallagher explained, pointing out that every goal undergoes automatic review by VAR to assess whether the ball crossed the line in various dimensions. This process provides teams, officials, and fans a degree of confidence that calls are as precise as possible.
Gallagher’s comments underscore the ongoing advancements in football officiating technology. The debate around expanding goal-line technology to cover touchlines and bylines continues, but Gallagher’s assessment suggests that current VAR protocols sufficiently cover these situations, especially for decisive moments like goal attempts. With more teams and fans advocating for enhanced technology on the field, Gallagher’s insights also point to a shift in how VAR can be integrated to improve officiating precision.
Villa’s match against Bournemouth ultimately demonstrated both the benefits and complexities of VAR in the Premier League. Decisions on whether the ball has fully crossed the line remain some of the most challenging and scrutinized in the sport. While the VAR process slowed down play momentarily, the accurate judgment added integrity to the game by upholding the correct decision, allowing Villa’s missed opportunity to stand in accordance with the rules.
As football evolves, so too does the technology that supports it. Gallagher’s analysis underscores the importance of VAR in maintaining fairness and accuracy in the game’s most pivotal moments. With Villa’s battle for a top-four finish heating up, every call counts, and decisions like these emphasize the balance VAR brings to the modern game. The process may not always be flawless, but it is an essential tool that ensures moments of controversy are handled with the utmost fairness and scrutiny, as seen in Villa’s close encounter against Bournemouth.