Stoppage-time VAR decision handed lucky punter a £39,000 win off £20

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One lucky William Hill customer netted a £39,000 win last weekend, thanks, in part, to VAR’s (video assistant referee) decision to award Federico Chiesa’s stoppage-time consolation goal. 

The anonymous punter correctly predicted the scores in two English football matches while also forecasting two other match results with both teams scoring. 

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The four-way accumulator netted them circa £39,000 from a modest £20 bet, thanks to combined odds of 1,937/1.

The punter’s first of four bets was on the Carabao Cup final, played this weekend at Wembley. The game saw Premier League leaders Liverpool taking on Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United. 

While most people expected a dominant victory for Arne Slot’s Reds, Newcastle found themselves 2-0 up heading into injury time. 

The Toon should have been even further ahead when Federico Chiesa slotted home in the 94th minute. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR intervened and overruled the on-pitch decision. 

The goal had no impact on the game, apart from setting Newcastle's nerves jangling in the closing minutes, but it certainly had an impact on one bettor, who had predicted a 2-1 Newcastle victory. 

VAR has come under intense scrutiny since its introduction to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season. It has been criticised for marginal decisions, as well as for slowing matches down. 

However, this call will go down well with one punter. William Hill representative Lee Phelps said of the result: “VAR has hardly been a fan favourite since its introduction a few years ago, but one lucky punter will certainly be thanking the Stockley Park officials after they correctly overturned Federico Chiesa’s offside goal for Liverpool against Newcastle on Sunday.”

Next up, the player predicted a 3-0 victory for Manchester United over Leicester City. The Red Devils have had a very shaky season and look likely to record their worst-ever Premier League season, but, having conceded more than 60 goals and scored only 25 going into the game, the Foxes never looked like causing another upset. 

Away from England, the bettor’s attention turned to France, where they had predicted that both teams would score and that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) would emerge victorious in their match against Monaco. 

PSG led 2-0 at halftime before Monaco scored early in the second period and PSG netted a third to secure victory.

The final game of the four-way accumulator saw a similar bet on Barcelona. With 70 minutes played, Atletico were 2-0 up and the accumulator looked all but finished. 

However, Lewandowski scored one before Ferran Torres equalised in the 78th minute. It took until the 90th minute for the game to swing fully in Barcelona’s favour, when Lamine Yamal scored third. Torres did add a fourth in stoppage time. 

The four bets gave total odds of 1,937/1 and the punter’s £20 stake returned £39,467. 

Phelps said: “With our customer needing a 2-1 Newcastle victory as part of a huge 1,937/1 accumulator and the magpies leading 2-0 with just moments to spare, VAR’s decision to award Chiesa’s last-minute strike netted them a whopping £39,467 from a £20 stake.”