Referee right to reject VAR penalty to Man City, panel says

Referee Farai Hallam was correct to turn down a video assistant referee (VAR) review to give a penalty to Manchester City against Wolves, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has ruled.

With City leading 1-0 in the 35th minute, Omar Marmoush appealed for a spot-kick for handball by Wanderers defender Yerson Mosquera.

Hallam was unmoved, only to then be sent to the pitchside monitor by the VAR, Darren England.

Hallam was taking charge of his first Premier League game but decided to stick with his decision. The 32-year-old received widespread praise for a "courageous" call.

However, City boss Pep Guardiola was less than complimentary after the game.

"The referee made a huge debut, now everybody will know him," Guardiola said.

"[Referees' chief] Howard Webb, come tomorrow and explain why it's not a penalty."

The KMI Panel unanimously voted Hallam was correct.

It said Mosquera's arm was "in an expected position given his running action" and that "the ball is kicked towards him from a close distance".

It added: "The panel unanimously supported the referee's call to not award a penalty.

"The VAR intervention to recommend a review was an overreach, as the referee's call of no penalty was not a clear and obvious error."

City went on to win 2-0 at the Etihad.