'I was surprised' — Ex-referee weighs in on controversial moment between Aston Villa and Chelsea

Aston Villa continued their unbeaten Premier League run against Chelsea on Saturday but will have felt disappointed in the draw after taking a 2-0 lead in the first half. The Blues, who are currently 19 points adrift of the Villans in their Champions League pursuit, took more than an hour to get on the scoresheet.

After Noni Madueke’s goal, Conor Gallagher forced the equaliser late on through a long-range strike. Axel Disasi then thought he had secured the comeback for Chelsea with a stoppage time header but after a check from VAR, the goal was chalked off due to a foul by Benoit Badiashile on Diego Carlos inside the box.

The replay showed a push in the back on the Villa defender and forced Chelsea to settle for one point on the road instead of a statement comeback triumph. After the game, Mauricio Pochettino slammed the VAR decision for ‘damaging’ him, his team and the Chelsea fans.

In the latest instalment of Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, Dermot Gallagher has weighed in on the controversial incidents over the weekend, including the decision to deny Chelsea their last ditch winner.

"I thought it was a foul at the time. I thought a foul would be given and I was surprised it wasn't. When the goal went in, I was confident VAR would pick it up.

"If the players are side by side and he goes with his shoulder, that's OK. But the player's [Badiashile] behind him and he goes into his back. The ball's not in picture and the law says that if you're going to shove somebody, the ball's got to be playable.

"I think he decides wrongly that it's not a foul. It's clear and obvious. We've got a referee and we've got a VAR, so we've got different tolerance levels. Craig Pawson doesn't think that was a foul but I do, so if I was the VAR, I would alert you to go to the screen. He can go to the screen and hold his ground."

Villa remain secure in fourth place in the Premier League table for now but Tottenham Hotspur hold two games in-hand and could close the gap to just one point if they win both fixtures. To stay above Spurs, Unai Emery’s side must avoid as many slip-ups as possible between now and the end of the season.