Newcastle United defender Dan Burn has offered a tongue-in-cheek assessment of the major Video Assistant Referee incident that dominated Tuesday night's Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City.
The Controversial Disallowed Goal
The pivotal moment occurred when Manchester City striker Antoine Semenyo met a corner from Tijjani Reijnders and fired past Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope. The strike, which also beat defender Malick Thiaw and City's own striker Erling Haaland, appeared to have doubled the visitors' lead in the crucial cup tie.
However, VAR officials intervened before play could restart. The review process took an extensive five-and-a-half minutes, ultimately concluding that Erling Haaland was in an offside position and was interfering with play by impeding Thiaw. The goal was subsequently chalked off.
Pundits and Players React to VAR Drama
Speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports after the match, which Manchester City won 2-0, injured Newcastle player Dan Burn was asked for his verdict. He initially laughed and quipped, "I think it was a great decision," before offering a more measured analysis.
"I do think it was the right decision but I don't like the 'subjective offside'," Burn clarified. "It's offside or it's not."
Fellow pundits Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp expressed their frustration with the lengthy process. Richards argued that VAR was "re-refereeing the game" and that disallowing goals for such incidents was "anti-goal." Redknapp, while acknowledging the decision was technically correct by the letter of the law, lamented the "five-and-a-half minutes of my life I'll never get back" spent waiting for the verdict.
Guardiola's Fierce Post-Match Response
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also delivered a pointed critique of the VAR procedure after the final whistle. He highlighted the indecision shown by the officials during the protracted check.
"Four officials and VAR were not able to take the decision, they had to go to the referee," Guardiola stated. He added that such adversity would strengthen his team's resolve as they continue their quest to reach the final, saying, "It's in that situation how we react... It will make us stronger."
The incident has reignited the ongoing debate about the application of VAR in football, particularly concerning subjective offside calls and the time taken to reach decisions that significantly impact high-stakes matches.
