The Premier League and the English game is being “damaged” by the influence of VAR, according to Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues were denied a late victory against Aston Villa on Saturday night after Axel Disasi’s goal in stoppage time was chalked off after the VAR spotted a foul.
The Villans took an early on their home patch through a Marc Cucurella own goal, which was doubled just before halftime by Morgan Rogers.
Noni Madueke pulled one back just after the hour mark, before Conor Gallagher levelled matters with a superb finish in the 81st minute.
“The performance was great against a very good team. Disappointed but what can we do? We need to move on,” Pochettino told BBC Sport after the final whistle.
Asked if he thought their late goal should have stood, the Argentine responded: “Me and you and everyone in the stadium watching the game. They didn’t see a foul on the pitch and then VAR changed the decision of the referee. For me that was a normal challenge. The decision was there and that’s it.
“For me it damaged a little bit the Premier League and English [football]. If we want to be the best league in the world it should be protecting the spectacle and the decision. At Wembley for handball was a penalty against Manchester City and the referee didn’t check and the VAR didn’t advise the referee to see the incident.
“Damaged myself, damaged my team, my players, my fans.
“We are a young team. The performance was good. I’m so happy with the reaction.”
Chelsea are back in action next Thursday when they host Spurs at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
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