Nottingham Forest secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Tottenham, despite some issues with VAR technology.
In an unprecedented situation, the second half of the Premier League match between Tottenham and Nottingham Forest on Monday night began without the assistance of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
This interruption was caused by a fire alarm at Stockley Park, where the VAR hub is located. The Premier League confirmed that VAR was not in operation for this match until further notice, sharing the news via a social media post that stated:
“The match will be operating without VAR until further notice due to a fire alarm at the VAR Hub at Stockley Park.”
Sky Sports announced this development during their coverage of the second half. However, within five minutes, they reported that personnel at Stockley Park had returned to their positions, and normal operations were restored. A follow-up post confirmed:
“VAR is now back up and running.” Fortunately, there were no significant incidents requiring review during this brief outage.
Prior to the unexpected interruption, VAR had played a crucial role in impacting the game. Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest believed he had doubled his team’s lead, but his goal was reviewed by semi-automated technology. A social media update explained:
“VAR checked the referee’s call on the goal and established that Wood was in an offside position, recommending that the goal be disallowed.” Consequently, Wood’s goal was ruled out due to his offside position.
Despite the challenges with the technology during the match, Nottingham Forest emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over Tottenham. This result enhances their chances of qualifying for European competition next season. Tottenham’s struggles continue, as Richarlison’s late goal was not enough to secure a point, leaving them in 16th position.
This outcome is likely to increase the pressure on Tottenham’s manager, Ange Postecoglou, as his job security may be at stake due to the team’s poor performance in the Premier League.
However, there is still hope for Spurs as they prepare to face Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals of the Europa League.
