Fulham Manager Silva Criticizes 'Impossible' VAR Decisions in Premier League Loss to Aston Villa

Fulham manager Marco Silva expressed strong frustration over two video assistant referee (VAR) decisions that denied his team penalties during their 3-1 Premier League loss to Aston Villa. The first incident involved Josh King being booked for simulation after going down in the box under Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's challenge, a decision confirmed by VAR which judged King went down before contact. Shortly after, a shot by King hit the arm of Matty Cash inside the box, but the referee and VAR ruled no handball offence as Cash's arm position was deemed justifiable. Silva vehemently disagreed, calling the decisions "impossible to understand" and stating that if a player is taken down in the box, it is a penalty "everywhere in the world." Former goalkeeper Joe Hart also criticized the decisions, agreeing the first wasn't a penalty but questioning the yellow card and believing the second should have been a penalty. Despite the controversy, Aston Villa secured their first Premier League win of the season, coming back from behind with goals from Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, and Emi Buendia.