Burnley Vs Brentford: VAR drama denies Clarets in seven-goal thriller

In a seven-goal Premier League thriller, Brentford beat Burnley 4-3 after late video assistant referee decisions overturned what looked like a miraculous comeback in the burnley vs brentford fixture.

Late winner and overturned goals decided the result

Mikkel Damsgaard put Brentford back in front three minutes into injury time, and that injury-time strike proved to be the decisive goal after two Burnley appeals were dismissed by VAR. Zian Flemming had briefly put Burnley 4-3 in the 78th minute, finishing from a cross by Jaidon Anthony, but Anthony was ruled offside by the width of his shoulder in the build-up.

How two VAR calls changed the outcome

The first big VAR intervention came when the offside flag was raised on Jaidon Anthony for his shoulder and arm being judged offside in the build-up to Flemming's 78th-minute finish. Anthony, who had scored Burnley's second goal earlier, said he had seen the replay and that it was his shoulder: "It's my shoulder, I think... I'm sure if I scored with that part of my body, it wouldn't have been a goal. It's disappointing. "

After Damsgaard's strike put Brentford back ahead, Ashley Barnes thought he had earned Burnley a stoppage-time point, but that apparent equaliser was chalked off for handball after a five-minute VAR review. The decision followed a lengthy on-field delay and the sense of drama did not abate even as players and fans reacted.

Manager and pundit reactions

Burnley manager Scott Parker described the finish as "heartbreaking" and accepted the tight margins produced by technology, saying: "VAR and the fine margins of technology to the inch of a sleeve, calling something offside is the game of football we live in now. So we accept that. That's the way it is. " Parker also said he felt "maybe a little bit of injustice, " adding that on the big screen the hand looked beside the side and that the call felt "so, so harsh. "

Alan Shearer, commentating on the match, said the handball law is not "fit for purpose" and "isn't fair" on the fans.

Match flow: a first-half lead, a furious comeback and crowd unrest

Burnley had fallen 3-0 behind in the first half, being 3-0 down inside 34 minutes, before mounting a remarkable fightback to level the game. Fans greeted the final whistle with loud boos; there had been jeering and chants directed at Parker and the Burnley owner, Alan Pace, during and at the end of what was described as a woeful first half. The club has not won at home in the league since October, a detail that fed into the frustration inside the ground.

Parker highlighted the second-half response, saying the fans were brilliant in the second half and defending the commitment of his players: he said the group had shown what the shirt means and that he hoped supporters could see that.

Brentford reaction and context

Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who signed a new long-term deal this week, said he would not have been happy had the VAR decisions gone against his side but felt the calls were ultimately correct. He praised his team's first-half performance, saying they attacked with speed and conviction, and acknowledged that an own goal had changed the rhythm of the match and that Burnley adapted in the second half.

Andrews added that if he had been offered a 4-3 victory beforehand he would have taken it, even if it came in "very crazy circumstances. "

Notes from coverage and multimedia

One headline of post-match commentary framed the wider issue as "Wider VAR scope and more countdowns for World Cup. " A planned live blog of the match was unavailable during coverage and carried the message: "Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. "

The defeat leaves Burnley eight points from safety in the standings. It is unclear in the provided context what Burnley's next fixture or confirmed next event is.