Former referee Mark Clattenburg says the long Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision to quickly award Liverpool’s goal cost the Reds the Carabao Cup.. Recall that Newcastle United defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the final but the referee’s delay in confirming the Chiesa’s goal affected their chances of a comeback.. Chiesa’s goal to make it 2-1 late into the game was originally flagged for offside and it took a lengthy VAR check for the initial decision to be overturned.. Reacting to the development, Clattenburg in a chat with The Overlap Fan Debate, faulted the long VAR delay.. “I’ll always say it (VAR) is killing the emotion of the game.. Read Also: ‘Disgraceful!’ – Kalika Blasts Super Eagles’ Draw With Zimbabwe, Backs Siasia For Job. “That Liverpool player (Federico Chiesa) should be allowed to celebrate his goal, even though he doesn’t really want to celebrate because he wants to get the ball back to the halfway line.. “That critical moment suited Newcastle, in a way. Liverpool were just inserting a bit of pressure, and the pressure has just been released by that VAR decision. It allowed Newcastle to regroup. It was probably benefitting Newcastle, not Liverpool.”. ‘It is hard to say if Liverpool could have used that momentum to score another in the dying moments of the game but the fact is that VAR slowed down play which meant Newcastle could focus and regroup. The speed of VAR has been questioned for some time and with decisions such as this constantly causing controversy, many fans will be hoping automated offsides will help.”
