VAR is at its worst, with a contentious decision to disallow Manchester City's second goal in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle. The game was overshadowed by the VAR check, which lasted five minutes and 30 seconds and left many questioning the decision.
City took an early lead through Antoine Semenyo on 53 minutes, but thought he had added a second just ten minutes later after flicking Tijjani Reijnders' cross past Nick Pope. However, the forward was denied a third goal in two games for his new side as VAR checked whether Erling Haaland's offside position had affected play.
The five-and-a-half-minute delay sparked frustration among fans and players alike, with many feeling that the decision was unfair. The decision has been described by former Manchester City defender Micah Richards as 'anti-goal', suggesting that it was a goal that should have stood.
VAR officials have come under scrutiny for their performance in this game, with some calling for an overhaul of the system. While VAR is intended to help referees make accurate decisions, its reliance on technology has often led to controversy and debate.
Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola said that the disallowed goal would make his side 'stronger', but captain Bernardo Silva expressed frustration at the decision, saying that it was 'so frustrating' after a similar incident had happened in their previous Premier League defeat at Newcastle.
City took an early lead through Antoine Semenyo on 53 minutes, but thought he had added a second just ten minutes later after flicking Tijjani Reijnders' cross past Nick Pope. However, the forward was denied a third goal in two games for his new side as VAR checked whether Erling Haaland's offside position had affected play.
The five-and-a-half-minute delay sparked frustration among fans and players alike, with many feeling that the decision was unfair. The decision has been described by former Manchester City defender Micah Richards as 'anti-goal', suggesting that it was a goal that should have stood.
VAR officials have come under scrutiny for their performance in this game, with some calling for an overhaul of the system. While VAR is intended to help referees make accurate decisions, its reliance on technology has often led to controversy and debate.
Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola said that the disallowed goal would make his side 'stronger', but captain Bernardo Silva expressed frustration at the decision, saying that it was 'so frustrating' after a similar incident had happened in their previous Premier League defeat at Newcastle.
! Five minutes and 30 seconds is just ridiculous, it's like they're trying to prolong the agony or something 
. I mean, come on, if a goal is clearly offside, why do we need five minutes of review? Can't they just trust their initial calls like normal? 
And what's with all these 'anti-goal' decisions lately? It's like the VAR officials are trying to be heroes or something... instead of helping the game. 
The fans, players, and even the manager were all frustrated by this decision, so I think it's safe to say that VAR is at its worst right now 
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! I mean, can't they just make a call already? It's like they're trying to confuse us on purpose 
! And yeah, Micah Richards is spot on - that goal should've stood, no question 
. It's like they're more worried about being "accurate" than actually making a good decision 
. I swear, if Pep says it makes his team stronger, we gotta believe him 
... but Bernardo Silva seems like he's still fuming about it 
. Can't wait for the next game to see if VAR will get its act together 
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I'm so sick of these delays and questionable calls... five minutes and 30 seconds to make one call? It's just ridiculous! Can't they just get it right for once? 
. I feel so bad for Manchester City's fans who were already hyped up after scoring that goal and then it gets taken away from them 
. and can we talk about how unfair it is? it's like, one mistake and suddenly you're 'anti-goal'? 
. micah richards is like totally right tho, disallowed goals should count 
. And you can't even blame them - Pep just tried to spin it as a positive, saying it'd make City stronger? Come on! 
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at least pep said it would make them stronger but come on var how is that even possible 
they should've just left it alone 
who needs that kinda stress 
like, focus on goals not controversy 
This latest decision to disallow Manchester City's second goal is proof that something's seriously fishy going on behind the scenes. First of all, what was with the delay? Five minutes and 30 seconds? That's an eternity! It's like they're trying to manipulate the outcome of the game or somethin' 
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