VAR’s Biggest Buzzkill Moments: England Denied in Two Semi-Finals, Epic Champions League Ties Decided by Tiny Margins, and Arsenal’s Title Hopes Dealt a Big Blow…as Coventry Denied One of FA Cup’s Great Miracles
For Manchester United, it was a huge relief. For everyone else, it was just another example of VAR’s uncanny ability to suck the joy out of football. Coventry City was denied one of the greatest moments in FA Cup history – and one of the most spectacular comebacks ever – by a mere inch.
Think back to a time before technology, and Victor Torp’s last-gasp winner would have gone down in history as another magical moment in the world’s oldest cup competition. It could well have sealed Erik ten Hag’s fate as United’s manager too. However, the ruthless precision of VAR and its faultless offside lines halted Coventry’s wild celebrations and, ultimately, allowed United to progress to the final.
With Coventry considered the underdogs, especially when they were 3-0 down, this was yet another instance where VAR proved to be a major disappointment for football fans. No matter which team you support, there have likely been times when VAR has spoiled the beautiful game we all love.
The 2019 Champions League quarter-final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur was a classic, but VAR ultimately decided the outcome. First, Fernando Llorente bundled home the winning goal from a corner. After a lengthy VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand because the Spurs player had scored with his hip, not his arm. Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, Raheem Sterling scored what would have been the winning goal for Manchester City, igniting euphoric celebrations at the Etihad, with Pep Guardiola charging down the touchline. However, the joy turned into despair when officials spotted that Sergio Aguero was just offside when Bernardo Silva played the ball into his path, setting up Sterling. City was left in disbelief, while Tottenham was thankful for the officials and their slow-motion replays.
Ellen White came agonizingly close to reaching her first Women’s World Cup final in 2019 when she pushed the formidable United States to the brink. White had already scored one equalizer and thought she had made it 2-2 in the second half. However, a VAR review found White to be marginally offside as she ran onto Jill Scott’s through ball. Even a year later, White admitted that she was still haunted by the decision. England’s men also suffered semi-final VAR agony in 2019. England’s game with the Netherlands in Guimaraes, Portugal, was on a knife-edge at 1-1 when Jesse Lingard fired England into an undeserved lead late on. It sparked wild celebrations among thousands of English fans inside the stadium, only for VAR to intervene and rule it out after a two-minute check.
Wolves were left incensed after being denied a dramatic winner at Anfield in the FA Cup third round. The visitors thought they had won the game when Toti flicked home, but the assistant referee raised his flag against Matheus Nunes, who had taken the original corner. It halted the celebrations of thousands of Wolves fans, and more controversy followed because VAR did not have a suitable camera angle to provide enough evidence to overturn the decision.
Arsenal looked set to finally win the Premier League title again in February of last year. They had lost just twice and were ahead of Manchester City when they hosted Brentford at the Emirates. Leandro Trossard put them ahead, and the Gunners looked poised to move eight points clear at the top. However, Ivan Toney equalized with a close-range header, a costly goal for Arsenal that stood despite two VAR mistakes.
The goal Liverpool’s Luis Diaz saw wrongly disallowed at Tottenham earlier this season sparked the fiercest criticism of VAR yet in the English game. The Colombian winger was played through on goal and scored, only to be flagged offside, with the decision going to VAR for a double check. VAR official Darren England and assistant Dan Cook failed to realize the goal had been ruled out and failed to overturn the decision as play continued.
Football fans everywhere, whether they like Liverpool or not, started to seriously question whether VAR truly has a place in the beautiful game.
