Wolverhampton Wanderers star Daniel Podence was lucky to escape a potential red card after appearing to spit on Nottingham Forest player Brennan Johnson.
On Saturday, Wolves travelled to the City Ground in what was billed as a potential relegation six-pointer against midlands rivals Forest.
Welshman Johnson gave the home side the lead after scoring in the 38th minute.
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In the second half, Wolves bit back in the closing stages as Podence scored a brilliant goal to make it 1-1 in the 83rd minute.
However, Podence could have gone from hero to zero after the camera captured him appearing to spit in the direction of Johnson during an altercation.
After a long VAR consultation, Podence escaped any serious punishment and the match ended 1-1.
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Fans were in disbelief over the decision by the officials.
One said: “Podence 100% deserved a red card for spitting on Brennan Johnson!”
Another tweeted: “How do var not send him off?”
A third fan added: “Just look at VAR. Podence spit at Johnson and they took zero action. This is ridiculous!”
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Someone else wrote: “VAR probably showed that Podence did spit at Johnson, but reverted to type and missed completely.”
Whilst a fifth commented: “Loved the performance apart from the result. Not sure how Podence can spit and VAR say no offence?”
Speaking after the match, Johnson himself played down his altercation with Podence.
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He said to BBC Sport: “I think it's just high emotion. I don't remember it clearly.
“I don't want to talk about it too much. I saw a motion come from him but they looked at it and it didn't happen.”
On the match, Johnson added: “The overriding emotion is disappointment.
“It's good to play in these big games but we couldn't bring the three points for the fans.
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“When chances come like that, and not too many come in the Premier League, I really concentrate on getting the finish off.”
After the draw, Wolves remain one point ahead of Forest with both teams sitting in 13th and 14th place respectively.
Featured Image Credit: Premier League ProductionsTopics: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Football
