'If only': Joe Willock takes to Instagram to react to semi-automated offside decision that ruled out goal against Spurs
Aside from anyone associated with Tottenham Hotspur, you won't have found many football fans happy to see Joe Willock's first-half goal for Newcastle United ruled out the way it was last night.
Jacob Ramsey, who had a fantastic game for the Toon last night, threaded the ball through to Joe Willock, who used his pace to outdo the Spurs backline, and just when it looked like he'd taken it too far, he chopped back inside and fired a shot into the bottom corner.
VAR checked the play for offside as they do with every goal, and they felt there was enough uncertainty to deploy the semi-automated offside technology and sure enough, the computer-generated image deemed Joe Willock was offside ... by an eyelash.
Pundits covering the game have said that it was the narrowest decision they've ever seen, while others asked what happened to the 5cm tolerance that granted Liverpool a VAR pass earlier this season.
Joe Willock took the decision well last night
Newcastle ended up scoring a couple of minutes later, giving them a lead to take into the break, and did ultimately win the game, but the uproar that decision would have caused had it been more integral to the plot of the game doesn't bear thinking about.
Thankfully, Joe Willock took it in good spirits after the game, posting the image of the SAOT decision with the caption:
"If only I got a trim before the game"
Officials need to be given the scope to exercise common sense
This was a clear sign to most people that VAR and the offside rule are in desperate need of an overhaul if that's the fine margins we are punishing players for.
As we said last night, we are aware that a line has to be drawn somewhere; there are always going to be contentious decisions, no matter how the rule is applied, but there needs to be scope for officials to use a bit of common sense.
Last night, the VAR should have looked at that SAOT image and overruled it. It's far too tight a margin to be fully accurate. It all comes down to when they freeze the action to determine when the ball is struck; there's literally one centimetre in it, which is the difference between one frame and the next. It's too tight to call; give the benefit of the doubt to the striker.
