Everything Alan Shearer said about Aston Villa vs Wolves controversy after watching new footage
Alan Shearer has defended the referee and VAR’s decision to disallow Wolves’ early goal in Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory on Sunday.
Villa secured a narrow win over Wolves in what was far from a convincing display at Villa Park.
The Birmingham outfit were on the back foot throughout most of the first half, in a game they were expected to win heavily.
Emi Martinez was forced to keep Villa in the match in multiple moments, but the keeper was actually beaten early into the match in controversial fashion.
Alan Shearer: Wolves’ opener should have been disallowed
Early on, the visitors thought they had taken the lead when Jorgen Strand Larsen bundled the ball into the net after connecting with a cross.
However, the linesman quickly disallowed Wolves’ goal, with VAR confirming the decision.
It was argued that winger Jhon Arias, was blocking Martinez’s ability to make the save from an offside position.
The Colombian ran in front of the Argentine, before ducking as the ball flew into the net.
Jorgen Strand Larsen put the ball into the Aston Villa net…but it was ruled out for offside by Jhon Arias ❌ pic.twitter.com/rmEhdz740d
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 30, 2025
Watching it back on Match of the Day on 30 November, Alan Shearer was quick to agree with the officials’ decision.
He said: “I think it is the right decision because you can argue there are two.
“One, he is in the line of sight, but the one it was disallowed for is that he is clearly impacting the ability of the keeper with his movement, ducking out the way when he’s trying to get the ball.
“I think it was the right decision.”
Unai Emery praises Aston Villa’s second-half display
In the first half, Villa were woeful, and it looked like the Birmingham outfit were set to give Wolves their first Premier League win of the season.
However, in the second period, the hosts really stepped up their game, limiting Wolves’ chances, while also seeing the rest of the match out after opening the scoring.
Speaking to BBC Sport on 30 November after the game, Unai Emery was pleased with how his side reacted in the second half.
- Villa’s victory has seen them remain fourth.
- Emery’s side are two points clear of Brighton in fifth and are just six points off top
- Villa have now scored nine of their 16 Premier League goals this season from outside the box
He said: “We had to follow the gameplan and be resilient. We didn’t dominate the match and in some moments we were struggling to create or dominate. We respect them a lot and know how difficult it is to get points.
“We were better at being resilient, consistent and demanding was better in the second half.”
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