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Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final tie.
However, Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg was marred by a controversial VAR decision that disallowed a goal from Antoine Semenyo in the second half.
The £65 million January acquisition put City ahead in the 53rd minute and believed he had doubled the lead ten minutes later, deftly redirecting Tijjani Reijnders’ cross past Nick Pope.
Semenyo was denied what would have been his third goal in two appearances for his new club after a lengthy five-and-a-half-minute VAR review determined that Erling Haaland had interfered with play from an offside position.
“The second goal should have stood,” Semenyo stated following the match.
Haaland was competing for position with Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw when he was judged to have impeded the defender’s ability to prevent Semenyo’s shot.
Referee Chris Kavanagh reviewed the incident multiple times on the pitch-side monitor before announcing his decision to disallow the goal to the St James’ Park crowd.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Pep Guardiola suggested the disallowed goal would only serve to make his team “stronger”.
Captain Bernardo Silva also expressed his frustration with the decision, particularly in light of the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel’s admission that Phil Foden was wrongly denied a penalty in their Premier League defeat at the same venue earlier this season.
“It should have been 3-0, but we are quite used to this at the moment,” said Silva.
“It is so frustrating because the last time we came here, we also had a lot of decisions go against us.”
City eventually extended their lead deep into stoppage time when Rayan Cherki scored past Pope.
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Following a weekend where supporters enjoyed the FA Cup without VAR, this match presented a stark contrast to the fan experience at St James’ Park.
From the moment Semenyo scored what he thought was Manchester City’s second goal, it took five minutes and 30 seconds for referee Kavanagh to signal the VAR decision to disallow it.
The task of the VAR, Stuart Attwell, was complicated by the failure of the semi-automated offside technology, mirroring a similar issue during the Premier League fixture between the two teams in December. The proximity of the players necessitated a return to the older technology, requiring the manual drawing of lines.
Technically, the decision is legally sound, as Haaland was offside and in direct contact with a defender who potentially could have prevented the ball from entering the goal.
However, many fans are unlikely to view it that way, perceiving it as the nullification of a legitimate goal due to an offside offense that would have gone unnoticed were it not for VAR.
A more expeditious decision would have inspired greater confidence. The extended delay only exacerbated the controversy, creating the impression that the VAR was uncertain. It would have been preferable for the VAR to have refrained from intervention in this instance.
In this context, a technically correct decision may not necessarily align with the best interests of the game.
Former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton echoed the sentiments of Guardiola and Silva, describing Kavanagh’s verdict as appearing to be a “sheer guess.”
“I think the game has gone,” Sutton added. “Is Thiaw really going to stop that? The distance from Semenyo is a yard, a yard and a half. Thiaw is not going to react to that.”
Ex-Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp and Newcastle defender Dan Burn both conceded that ruling out Semenyo’s effort was the correct call, while both criticised the process.
“If they had given the goal there wouldn’t be one person that looked at this and thought it shouldn’t have been allowed,” said Redknapp.
“But by the letter of the law, whether we like it or not, it is the right decision.”
Meanwhile, Burn, who missed the game through injury, added: “I do think it is the right decision, I just don’t like the subjective offside. It’s either offside, or it’s not.
“We don’t want to see that, but by the letter of the law it should be disallowed.”
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said: “I understand the process but VAR wasn’t brought in for this reason here.
“This is anti-goal which they said they weren’t going to do, they said they weren’t going to re-referee the game.
“This for me is re-refereeing the game. They are both going at it. It might be right, but I don’t think we should be taking away goals for this. Why take five minutes?”
Aman: Get rid of VAR! It’s a joke, the officials are trying to find reasons to not award goals! There was no reason to rule out that second goal!
Mick: The worst VAR decision I have ever seen. There are re-refereeing the game.
George: As fans we didn’t ask for VAR, it was pushed upon us and it’s ruined the game. As soon as the ref goes to the screen we all know how it’s going to pan out. It all just takes too long. Rubbish.
Finn: So VAR has decided that Haaland made Pope jump forward and try to stop the shot. WOW. Laughable.
Ian: That was a terrible decision of offside, you couldn’t tell if it was on or offside! If it’s not obvious it should be a goal! Football is supposed to be about scoring goals! VAR killing the game slowly.
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