Scott Parker expressed disappointment and a sense of injustice after VAR denied Burnley a remarkable comeback in a 4-3 defeat to Brentford at Turf Moor. Burnley trailed 3-0 within 34 minutes and faced hostility from their own fans, but fought back to level the score. However, two potential equalisers were ruled out by the video assistant referee.
Jaidon Anthony had a goal disallowed for offside by a shoulder width, and Ashley Barnes saw his late strike chalked off for handball after a lengthy delay. Mikkel Damsgaard had put Brentford back ahead in injury time, only for Barnes to seemingly equalise again, only for VAR to intervene. Parker said he felt 'maybe a little bit of injustice' and described the handball decision as 'so, so harsh'.
The Burnley manager praised his side's fighting spirit, noting they scored five goals in 60 minutes. He acknowledged the first-half boos and chants directed at him and the club's owner, Alan Pace, but hoped the second-half performance would win over critics. 'The fans were brilliant in the second half, but that was down to us,' he said.
Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who recently signed a new long-term contract, admitted he would have been frustrated if the VAR decisions had gone against his side, but felt they were correct. He described his team's first-half display as 'very good' but conceded they struggled after Burnley's tactical changes. Andrews said he would have accepted a 4-3 victory before the match, calling the circumstances 'crazy'.
