The Premier League has stood by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision to disallow Estêvão Willian’s second goal during Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian winger appeared to have scored Chelsea’s third goal in the 72nd minute of Saturday’s encounter after receiving a pass from Cole Palmer and firing past goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review, with officials determining that the 19-year-old was in an offside position.

The decision sparked debate because of the marginal nature of the call, with some supporters questioning whether there was sufficient evidence to overturn the on-field decision.

In its official explanation of the Matchday Nine VAR decisions, the Premier League Match Centre confirmed that the review found Estêvão offside and recommended that the goal be disallowed.

The league’s published explanation did not indicate that an error had been admitted or that an apology had been issued to Chelsea.

Despite the disallowed effort, Chelsea secured all three points through goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer, who converted a penalty in the second half.

The result lifted Chelsea into the Premier League’s top four, while Estêvão’s performance earned praise despite his two disallowed goals.