Chris Wilder has insisted Sheffield United needed “a bit of courage” from the VAR officials after they were let down by the technology at Aston Villa.
The Blades thought they had taken the lead at Villa Park on Wednesday evening after home keeper Orjan Nyland appeared to carry the ball over his own line, although referee Michael Oliver was not alerted despite television pictures suggesting it should have been a goal.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle, Wilder said: “It took about 10 seconds for us to find out that Nyland was about 10 feet inside his goal and if there weren’t nets there, would have ended up in about Row 8 of the Holte End.
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“It’s not like a subjective VAR decision. The pictures are conclusive and the goal should have stood.
“Technology has let us down, but it should have been backed up by a bit of courage and I didn’t see much of that on the night from Stockley Park.”
Blades boss Wilder admitted the decision – or lack of one – still stung 48 hours on.
He added: “You just expect the technology to be right and correct and in conjunction with Hawkeye and VAR and referee and two linesmen and fourth official, seven camera angles and Sky’s coverage of it that we come to the right decision, and we certainly didn’t, so that’s from my point of view, unacceptable, really, in this day and age.
“Forty-eight hours on, that’s my considered view, but it was a considered view after the game.
“The FA have taken far too much money off me in the past 800 games that I’ve managed for them to take any more money off me again, so that’s why – it’s not 100 per cent the reason – I’ve tried to be considered about what happened.
“But it still stings a bit.”