Former referee gives verdict on controversial Man City winner at Wolves

John Stones rose highest to head home in the 95th minute, but the goal was originally chalked off by the officials due to Bernardo Silva interfering with goalkeeper Jose Sa.

VAR then intervened and after a check of the pitchside monitor, referee Chris Kavanagh awarded the goal.

Gallagher insisted the right call was made at Molineux.

“I definitely think so (it’s a goal),” Gallagher said on Sky Sports Ref Watch.

“Silva is in an offside position, but he can’t be offside from a corner. He can only be offside as soon as Stones touches it, but he peels away and moves away from Sa.

“When all that (Silva was touching Sa) was happening he was not in an offside position because it’s a corner.

“He can go up and down and do what he wants until Stones heads the ball. It’s only then that his position changes in terms of offside.

“And because he peels off, he’s not offside. And the last picture shows he peels off.”

Wolves boss Gary O’Neil was frustrated with the decision and cited Max Kilman’s disallowed goal against West Ham last season, which was disallowed due to Tawanda Chirewa’s position near goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

On that occasion, in a very similar position to Silva on Sa, Kilman’s goal was given on field but then cancelled out by VAR.

Gallagher added: “I can explain the Kilman one. When Kilman heads the ball, the Wolves player goes into the goalkeeper.”

After the contentious City winner, O’Neil said there is a subconscious bias from the officials in favour of bigger teams, which allowed the goal to stand.

Gallagher said: “There wasn’t that unconscious bias in Arsenal and Bournemouth.

“The decision went Bournemouth’s way and not Arsenal’s. So I’m not sure what unconscious bias means.”