Antoine Semenyo's second goal in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg clash between Newcastle United and Manchester City has been the subject of intense debate after it was disallowed following a lengthy VAR review. The incident occurred in the second half of the match at St. James' Park, with Semenyo initially believing he had doubled his and City's tally.
Semenyo's disallowed goal came from a corner kick. He kneed the ball over the line, seemingly extending Manchester City's lead. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, initiating a review that lasted for over four minutes. The focus of the VAR review was on a potential offside infringement by Erling Haaland.
Haaland was grappling with Newcastle defender Malick Thiaw near the goal line. Replays suggested Haaland may have been in an offside position. VAR officials used superimposed lines to analyze Haaland's positioning relative to Thiaw. After the review, the VAR determined that Haaland's toe was slightly ahead of Thiaw, thus offside.
Referee Chris Kavanagh was called to the pitchside monitor to review the incident himself. Following his review, Kavanagh disallowed Semenyo's goal, citing Haaland's offside position and its impact on Thiaw's ability to play the ball. The stadium announcer declared the decision, which was met with cheers from Newcastle fans.
The decision sparked immediate controversy and reignited the ongoing debate surrounding VAR's influence on football matches. Many fans and pundits expressed their disagreement with the ruling, labeling it a "subjective offside". Critics argued that Haaland's marginal offside position had minimal impact on Thiaw's ability to defend the corner. Others defended the decision, asserting that the laws of the game were correctly applied, regardless of the perceived impact.
The disallowed goal had a significant impact on the match, as it maintained Newcastle's narrow deficit. Ultimately, Manchester City won the match 1-0. The debate surrounding the disallowed goal is expected to continue in the lead-up to the second leg of the semi-final.
