Ex-top flight ref Dermot Gallagher felt the officials eventually came to the right decision to disallow Burnley’s late equaliser against Brentford – despite questioning the lengthy delay.

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Ashley Barnes thought he had rescued the Clarets a 98th-minute leveller when he drilled home after taking a long ball down.

While the ‘goal’ was allowed to stand on the field of play, an almost five-minute VAR delay ensued as the officials forensically examined whether Barnes had handled the ball.

No clear footage has yet emerged proving if he did, yet Sam Barrott – who wasn’t sent to the monitor – announced to the furious crowd that the dramatic late goal was to be chalked off.

Discussing the controversy, Gallagher felt the right decision was reached despite the lack of evidence.

He did, however, express sympathy with the frustrations over the lengthy wait.

"I think it hits his arm, it hits his left arm as it comes down,” he told Sky Sports’ Ref Watch.

Saturday's game went well past the 100-minute mark as a result of the late drama (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

"Scott Parker did a brilliant interview afterwards, absolutely brilliant, where he said: ‘we know the rules and that’s it’ and he accepted it, which was very, very tough given the circumstances, so I have the utmost admiration for him.

"People will accept that, but what caused the boos and anger is the elongated check. I realise it has to be right and they want to be certain, but it seemed to go on and on and on."

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Former player Jay Bothroyd, meanwhile, pointed out what many Burnley fans have argued themselves – there’s no replay that conclusively proves the ball hit Barnes’ arm.

"My first thought was it’s hit his hand, it’s not going to be a goal,” he said.

"But when you slow it down, you can’t actually say for sure – 100 per cent – because he’s saying it’s hit his hip. I’m seeing the replay and I’m still not 100 per cent.

"His arm was very close, there’s no doubt about that, but it could have hit his hip.

"That was really unfortunate for Burnley, I have to say. It was a great game, but you can understand why all of the players are frustrated.”

It was then pointed out to Gallagher that, given they spent almost five minutes deliberating the incident, it can’t have been a clear and obvious error from the referee.

"They just want to be so sure so they just check and check and check,” he replied. “But I think that’s what upset everybody.

"For me, if I have to look at something over and over again, I’m actually going to talk myself out of it because my gut reaction was the be-all and end-all to me.

"Paul Tierney was the VAR and it’s his choice. This is factual, so it’s not one where you send the referee to the screen. It’s one where he goes: ‘Sam, I think it’s hit his arm, so you can disallow the goal’.”

It was the second ‘goal’ Burnley had disallowed during a topsy-turvy second-half, with Zian Flemming denied a second of the afternoon due to an offside in the build-up.

Jaidon Anthony was adjudged to have been marginally past the last line of the defender by a tiny proportion of his shirt sleeve.

Yet again the officials took their time to draw the lines and reach a conclusion, taking almost three minutes.

Brentford emerged 4-3 winners as a result of Mikkel Damsgaard’s stoppage-time strike, coming before the late Barnes drama.

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