‘Get rid of VAR’ and Garnacho’s disallowed goal

Following Alejandro Garnacho’s disallowed goal against Arsenal, Phil Neville took to Twitter to vent his frustration. The defeat was a bitter pill for Manchester United to swallow. Erik ten Hag’s team took the lead in the first half courtesy of a Marcus Rashford goal, but Arsenal swiftly responded with a strike from Martin Odegaard.

In the second half, United put up a strong fight, but ultimately, two late goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus sealed the victory for Mikel Arteta’s side in London. However, the outcome could have been very different. Alejandro Garnacho found the back of the net at 1-1 late in the game, but a controversial VAR decision ruled it offside, leaving many people discontented.

Phil Neville, visibly angered by the VAR decision, took to social media to express his frustration in two tweets. “Never offside” and “Get rid of VAR,” wrote the former Manchester United player. This incident has sparked significant controversy, as it was an extremely close call, making it challenging to determine whether Garnacho had indeed strayed offside or not.

Nevertheless, the issue of VAR is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Premier League and demands resolution. The technology must either be consistently accurate or abolished entirely—there should be no middle ground.

The decision altered the course of the match dramatically. What could have been a late victory for United turned into a bitter and disappointing defeat. The disallowed goal gave Arsenal a significant boost, which they capitalized on with two injury-time goals, sinking Erik ten Hag’s team.

The inconsistency in officiating is becoming an exasperating and recurring problem that needs to be addressed.