"The game has gone" - a bad night for VAR in semi-final.
A contentious decision to disallow a goal from Antoine Semenyo in Manchester City's 2-0 win over Newcastle in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final has left fans and pundits alike questioning the effectiveness of Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Manchester City's £65m January signing fired City ahead on 53 minutes and thought he had added a second 10 minutes later when he flicked Tijjani Reijnders' cross past Nick Pope. However, the forward was denied a third goal in two games for his new side after a five-and-a-half-minute VAR check adjudged Erling Haaland to have interfered with play from an offside position.
While the decision is technically correct in law, as Haaland was deemed offside and in direct contact with Newcastle's Malick Thiaw when he was jostling for position, it has left fans feeling frustrated. "The second goal should have stood," Semenyo said after the game, adding that the decision will make his side "stronger".
Former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton agreed with Guardiola and Silva and said Kavanagh's verdict looked like a "sheer guess". He argued that Thiaw would not have been able to stop the ball from going into the goal.
The controversy surrounding VAR has sparked debate among pundits, with some defending the technology and others calling for it to be abolished. The decision to disallow Semenyo's second goal has highlighted the potential pitfalls of relying on VAR in high-pressure matches, leaving many questioning whether it is truly effective in improving the game.
A contentious decision to disallow a goal from Antoine Semenyo in Manchester City's 2-0 win over Newcastle in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final has left fans and pundits alike questioning the effectiveness of Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Manchester City's £65m January signing fired City ahead on 53 minutes and thought he had added a second 10 minutes later when he flicked Tijjani Reijnders' cross past Nick Pope. However, the forward was denied a third goal in two games for his new side after a five-and-a-half-minute VAR check adjudged Erling Haaland to have interfered with play from an offside position.
While the decision is technically correct in law, as Haaland was deemed offside and in direct contact with Newcastle's Malick Thiaw when he was jostling for position, it has left fans feeling frustrated. "The second goal should have stood," Semenyo said after the game, adding that the decision will make his side "stronger".
Former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton agreed with Guardiola and Silva and said Kavanagh's verdict looked like a "sheer guess". He argued that Thiaw would not have been able to stop the ball from going into the goal.
The controversy surrounding VAR has sparked debate among pundits, with some defending the technology and others calling for it to be abolished. The decision to disallow Semenyo's second goal has highlighted the potential pitfalls of relying on VAR in high-pressure matches, leaving many questioning whether it is truly effective in improving the game.
. u can tell the emotion & frustration 2gether when they're saying his 2nd goal shoulda stood lol. it's like, yeah VAR is in place 2 help & improve the game but some decisions r just so harsh 
. i'm still on the fence about VAR - part of me thinks it's a game-changer but other parts of me think it's just a fancy way 2 make ref decisions 
. anywayz, can't wait 2 see how this all plays out in the semi-finals 
and now its making man city's life easier in this cup semi final who knows when var gets it wrong u gotta trust ur eyes on the pitch not some computer program 
. I'm with Kavanagh and the lads who think VAR needs to improve its accuracy, not scrap it entirely 
. We can't just throw the baby out with the bathwater here 
. Let's give VAR a chance to show us what it's made of 
️!
they must be livin' thru all this frustration & uncertainty 
semenyo's goal was def a legit one but i guess var had to make an unpopular call 
on the other hand, gotta give it up 2 kavanagh for makin that tough call even if ppl dont agree w/ him 
the debate rages on & it's real... VAR is hit or miss 
. I'm loving that Chris Sutton spoke up about it, though - he has a point, it did look like Kavanagh was just making an educated guess 
. Can't we just get it right, you know? 
. Seriously though, it's like they're trying to make the game more complicated than it needs to be. Can't we just trust our eyes (and our refs) to get it right? 
It's like, just use your eyes man! Chris Sutton said it looked like a "sheer guess" to me too. Can't we just have a fair call without having to check some monitor for 30 seconds?