A FA Cup weekend without VAR – was it for the better or worse?
We saw a weekend of shocks and all-round quality games, but was that because VAR was not in use?
The FA decided not to use VAR in the third and fourth round of this year’s edition of the FA Cup despite every Premier League team and EFL clubs having the facilities for the system. Many fans believe that it brought back the football of old, but that came with controversy.
Manchester United defeated Leicester 2-1 at Old Trafford in a poor display for the Red’s which was overshadowed by United’s winner being offside.
Harry Maguire headed past Hermansen in the 92nd minute but was clearly in an offside position, which would have been ruled out by VAR if it was in use.
In 2025, it is clear football does benefit from the use of technology, but fans still want a fast-paced game.
Saturday late kick offs saw drama too, first with recent Carabao Cup finalists Newcastle United heading to League One Birmingham. The Premier League side were tested by Birmingham however Joe Willock found a late winner, which came with more controversy.
It is argued that the ball did not cross the line meaning the goal should not have stood but the assistant referee flagged to signal that the ball had crossed the line.
Hawkeye runs the goal line technology, which is implemented in the Premier League and Championship grounds. However, many EFL fans have asked why this isn’t the case for there clubs.
Saturday’s final game saw Chelsea head to Brighton. The Seagulls went through to the fifth round with a 2-1 win, but Kaoru Mitoma’s winner was surrounded by dispute.
Brighton’s Georginio Rutter netted an equaliser for Brighton after Chelsea’s Cole Palmer had forced an error from Seagull’s keeper Bart Verbruggen. Chelsea called for the winner to be ruled out after a blocked shot collided with Tariq Lamptey’s arm before eventually finding Mitoma.
Despite the dispute from Chelsea Head Coach Enzo Maresca, the goal would have stood with VAR as Lamptey’s ‘handball’ was accidental and he did not score the goal.
It was a brilliant weekend of football that felt like the good old days, but will there ever be a way to mix the new technology with this style of game?
