MX23RW : Wednesday, January 9 11:35:36

Officials confident VAR ruling in Wembley semi-final was right

Officials confident VAR ruling in Wembley semi-final was right
© Reuters
Harry Kane’s penalty in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg followed a VAR ruling that he was onside and had been fouled.

Harry Kane’s controversial winner in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea at Wembley reignited the hot topic of the video assistant referee.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea counterpart Maurizio Sarri were critical of its use after Kane was awarded and then netted a penalty to give the north Londoners a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg.

But Press Association Sport understands the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, the body responsible for match officials in English professional football, are confident the officials made the correct decision.

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea – Carabao Cup – Semi Final – First Leg – Wembley Stadium
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is shown a yellow card by referee Michael Oliver during the Carabao Cup, semi final match at Wembley, London.

The drama unfolded just before the half hour when Kane was scythed down by Kepa Arrizabalaga inside the area.

Referee Michael Oliver consulted VAR, which ruled that the England striker was just onside and that he had been fouled.

Kane dispatched the subsequent penalty but the build-up to the spot-kick award was the main talking point.

Chelsea showed a screenshot of their own system, via a different camera angle, which indicated he was offside while Pochettino felt the decision had taken too long.

But it is understood the PGMOL has total faith in the official Hawk-Eye system and that Oliver and his assistants made the right call with the information and technology available.

The VAR system, which has been utilised in some FA Cup and Carabao Cup games this season, is set to launch in the Premier League next season.


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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21173149103954
2Manchester CityMan City21162356173950
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs21160546212548
4Chelsea21135338162244
5Arsenal21125446311541
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd21115543321138
7Leicester CityLeicester219482523231
8Watford218583031-129
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves218582325-229
10West Ham UnitedWest Ham218492932-328
11Everton217683131027
12Bournemouth2183103140-927
13Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton217592429-526
14Crystal Palace2164111926-722
15Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2146111529-1418
16Burnley2153132142-2118
17Cardiff CityCardiff2153131941-2218
18Southampton2137112138-1716
19Fulham2135131947-2814
20Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2124151337-2410

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