Goal long denied by VAR in Southampton draw at Fulham



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Southampton had two goals disallowed by VAR as they were limited to a goalless draw at Fulham.

Irish forward Shane Long and Theo Walcott appeared to have broken the deadlock for the visitors in the second half, only to have their efforts written off for offside in review when the Saints fell to eighth in the table.

The Cottagers played their fourth straight draw and did so in the absence of their manager Scott Parker, who remains in isolation after a family member tested positive for coronavirus.

There were only three shots on goal during the game, and possession was also evenly split between the sides.

Southampton had had a seven-game unbeaten streak earlier in the season, during which they briefly topped the table, but the result sees them abandon European venues.

Fulham started the game brilliantly, with Alex McCarthy having to collect a very deviant effort from Ademola Lookman within the first 10 minutes.

The home team felt they should have had a penalty after a Lookman ball landed on Jan Bednarek’s arm, who was close to his body, but referee Darren England allowed play to continue and the VAR confirmed the referee’s decision in review.

Despite struggling to make an impact early on, James Ward-Prowse nearly gave Southampton the lead in typical fashion, with his 25-yard free throw bouncing off the wood before Che Adams missed the rebound.

In the second half, Southampton looked to dominate possession, building on their performance towards the end of the first 45 minutes, but it was Fulham who came closest to breaking the deadlock.

Ivan Cavaleiro rose to receive a cross from Antonee Robinson, but could not control his header, which went over the crossbar.

Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was forced to make his second save of the game in the 68th minute, sending Long zooming over the bar.

Lookman then had a deflected shot when the game was pulled for a VAR review on a possible Southampton penalty after a possible hand from Ola Aina. After a lengthy VAR check, the game was allowed to continue.

Southampton appeared to have taken the lead when they had the ball in the back of the net after a Ryan Bertrand cross found Long and Long passed the ball past the keeper, but the forward was found to be offside.

Walcott then suffered the same fate after he appeared to have scored a late winner from an Adams cross, with the latter deemed to be in an offside position when he ran behind.



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