At St James’ Park on 9/1, Manchester City secured a 2-0 win against Newcastle, thanks to goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki, placing one foot in the League Cup final.

However, the match's focal point was not the play itself, but a VAR intervention that disallowed a Manchester City goal. In the 68th minute, Tijjani Reijnders delivered a corner kick, which Semenyo finished with his thigh into the Newcastle net. VAR intervened, taking five minutes 30 seconds to review the situation before referee Chris Kavanagh went to the pitchside monitor and announced the goal would not stand due to Erling Haaland being offside.

The disallowed goal by Antoine Semenyo due to Erling Haaland's offside in the League Cup semi-final first leg on 13/1/2026. *Photo: Reuters*

According to the organizers, the semi-automated offside technology was not operational during this incident, a similar issue to when the two teams met in the Premier League in December. Players were positioned too close together, forcing VAR referee Stuart Attwell to manually draw lines to determine the offside position.

Legally, the decision was considered correct, as Haaland stood behind the defensive line and directly impacted a Newcastle defender in a situation where the ball could have been prevented from entering the net. However, the lengthy review made the decision controversial, creating a perception of indecisiveness and fueling reactions from Manchester City and the fans.

After VAR spent several minutes reviewing the situation, referee Chris Kavanagh still had to go to the pitchside monitor before announcing Manchester City's goal was disallowed. *Photo: AFP*

Following the match, Guardiola expressed satisfaction with his players' performance but found the prolonged VAR stoppage "unacceptable". "That's a good question: why did VAR intervene in this way", the Spanish coach responded, recalling incidents where Manchester City faced unfavorable decisions in their 1-2 loss to Newcastle in Premier League round 12 in late November 2025.

"In that match, VAR inexplicably did not intervene, despite Fabian Schar's rough foul on Phil Foden. Before that, there was a clear foul on Jeremy Doku", Guardiola stated. "Today, four people needed over six minutes to make a decision. Meanwhile, in the Premier League match, Newcastle's second goal was approved very quickly".

Guardiola further brought up the controversial incident where Dean Henderson avoided a red card against Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup final. "I say nothing. For the past 10 years, I have not doubted. But today it is truly perplexing", the 54-year-old coach said, requesting a clear explanation from Chief Referee Howard Webb.

Ultimately, Guardiola believes these controversial situations will make Manchester City stronger. "We have to accept it and move on. Things like this will help the team improve", he emphasized.

Coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the Newcastle match. *Photo: PA*

Similarly, captain Bernardo Silva criticized the VAR ruling. He argued that the score should have been 3-0, and Manchester City has become accustomed to similar occurrences. "It's truly frustrating, because the last time we came here, we also suffered many unfavorable decisions", the Portuguese midfielder said.

From Newcastle's perspective, coach Eddie Howe acknowledged the VAR wait was too long but did not comment deeply on the referee's decisions. The English coach also admitted that overturning the deficit in the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on 4/2 would be "a very high mountain".

Experts widely debated the incident. Former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton suggested that referee Kavanagh's decision was speculative. "I think football is going in the wrong direction", Sutton commented. "The distance from Semenyo was only just over one meter; could the defender truly have reacted in time to prevent the goal?".

Former Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp, along with Newcastle defender Dan Burn, agreed that the decision to disallow the goal was legally correct, though both criticized VAR's processing. "If the goal had stood, no one would have complained", Redknapp remarked. "But according to the rules, whether you like it or not, it was the correct decision".

Meanwhile, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards asserted that VAR has strayed too far from its original purpose. "I understand the process, but VAR was not brought in to do this", Richards stated. "They said they wouldn't 're-referee' the game, but this is exactly what it is. The decision might be correct by the rules, but a goal shouldn't be disallowed this way, especially when it takes five minutes".

Hong Duy (according to Daily Mail, BBC)