Aston Villa receive disallowed John McGinn goal referee verdict as Bournemouth drama takes fresh twist

Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher believes John McGinn had a goal correctly disallowed during Aston Villa's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, and praises the overall VAR process involved.

Ultimately Unai Emery's men suffered another Champions League hangover as Ross Barkley's seeming winner was cancelled out by an Evanilson equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Three points, as opposed to just the one, would have allowed Villa to leapfrog Arsenal into third place by the end of the weekend.

But a flashpoint during the match's first period had seen McGinn denied a goal by VAR. The captain had lashed the ball into the back of the net, though it was ruled the ball had crossed the byline for a goal kick before Ollie Watkins could pull it back to his team-mate in time.

"I think it's very interesting if you watch Ollie Watkins. He comes back with the ball and you think it's out, he doesn't even celebrate," Gallagher, speaking on Sky Sports' Ref Watch, pointed out as the first tell-tale sign this was the correct decision.

"If you watch Watkins I think it's out there - as it runs on and he goes to play the ball to McGinn, he almost gives up on it. When McGinn scores he just stands there, I think he expects it to be disallowed."

Praising the assistant running the line for allowing play to unfold to the point that allowed VAR Matt Donohue to intervene, he added: "I can understand why the assistant didn't pick it up. It happened so quick, Watkins brought the ball back so quickly, the assistant's got to be of the opinion the whole of the ball has crossed the whole of the line.

"We see corners taken and it's overhanging. I can understand why the assistant didn't give it as the VAR picked it up and it's rightly disallowed."

Former Villa defender Stephen Warnock concurred: "I was at this game and I saw this and thought: 'Oh, I'm not sure this has gone out'. But, the beauty of VAR, this is where I don't mind a slow-motion replay because then you get to slow it down, it's so, so close.

"When you look at that, there is just enough daylight between the ball and the line that you can see it. Actually seeing the replay run at normal speed you don't get to see that, so really good use [of VAR]."

As these decisions are difficult, Gallagher was finally asked his opinion whether the technology used to determine whether the ball crosses the goal-line needs to be used on the bylines and touchlines to speed up processes.

"Well, effectively we've got it because VAR picked that up," he responded. "That's where it came in, every goal is checked as soon as the ball goes in the net."

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