Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham VAR controversy

Oliver Glasner and Neco Williams both said Forest’s disallowed goal against Tottenham should have counted, after a 67th-minute overturn at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest were initially awarded the goal by Craig Pawson before VAR Peter Bankes stepped in, and the match finished 0-0.

The 67th-minute overturn

Glasner said the replay angles did not give clear proof. "I watched five or six different angles and, to be fair, from one angle you can guess that the ball touched the arm because the shirt moves a little bit, but it's not clear is it the ball or [Sandro] Tonali on the goalline," he told the BBC.

He added: "I think the VAR can't intervene when he is guessing. It was not clear and obvious." The Forest manager also pointed to the pre-season briefing on VAR standards, saying the threshold for intervention this year should be very high.

Williams was even more direct. "VAR is there when there is a clear and obvious error and for me that is not clear and obvious. I've seen the images and the replays and at not one moment did I think I handballed it. I headed it in between my arms," he said.

The Premier League’s Match Centre said the ball touched Williams’ hand before the goal was scored, which is why the on-field goal was overturned.

Forest's frustration after the draw

The decision mattered because Forest had thought they had taken the lead before the intervention stopped the celebration. Morgan Gibbs-White was involved in the move, and D. Kulusevski was part of the match context at the City Ground, where the game stayed scoreless.

Williams has already made 3 Premier League appearances this season and played 270 minutes, so this was not a one-off touch from a fringe player. Forest’s frustration is understandable, even if the official line is that the ball hit Williams’ hand first.

The broader point is the threshold. Forest are arguing that the on-field call should have stood unless the evidence was definitive, and the incident at Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham will sit with them far longer than the 0-0 itself.