In the fifth minute of the match, a controversial incident involving Virgil van Dijk and a Fulham defender drew attention from fans and pundits. Despite appeals, the referee allowed play to continue, and VAR reviewed the situation but upheld the original decision, ruling out a penalty and letting the game flow.
That match at Craven Cottage was wild—not just for the scoreline, but for the controversy that wrapped around it like fog. The non-penalty decision in the fifth minute could easily have rewritten the narrative. Both Kelleher’s rush on Pereira and Van Dijk’s bulldozing challenge on Muniz looked clumsy at best, reckless at worst. What’s fueling…
