Nottingham Forest found themselves absolutely furious after a potential winning goal against Tottenham was controversially ruled out by VAR for a handball on Neco Williams, leaving both sides without a Premier League win this season following a 0-0 draw at the City Ground. Forest was so, so close to snagging all three points, only to have them snatched away in a truly wild sequence.
The Opportunity Arises
The incident that sparked all the drama unfolded halfway through the second half. Morgan Gibbs-White of Forest had a golden chance, getting slipped through on goal and looking to dink his finish with a delicate chip right over the goalkeeper. That goal-bound chip seemed destined for the net. Honestly, it probably could have been cleared fairly easily by Tottenham’s midfielder, Sandro Tonali, but he completely missed his kick. The ball just kept bouncing, heading directly towards the goal line. You could almost feel the collective intake of breath from the fans as it looked like the net was about to bulge.
The Dive, The Block, The Call
Sensing an incredible opportunity to finally break the deadlock and bundle that ball over the line, Williams went all out, throwing his head at it. But here’s the kicker: as he committed, Tonali raised his boot in a desperate attempt to clear the ball. Williams instinctively reacted, covering his face with his hands to protect himself. He crashed into the ball, forcing it over the line despite Tonali’s attempted clearance, and for a split second, it looked like Forest had their winner. The celebrations started, but then came the inevitable VAR check. On-field referee Craig Pawson was told by VAR Peter Bankes that a check for handball was underway. Bankes ruled that Williams indeed made contact with the ball with his arm as he covered his face, resulting in that agonizing goal being disallowed. A free-kick was awarded to Tottenham instead. The Premier League’s Match Centre later confirmed the ruling, stating, “VAR checked the referee’s call of goal to Nottingham Forest , and determined that Williams handled the ball immediately before scoring and recommended that the goal was disallowed.” Referee Pawson then announced the crushing decision to the City Ground, explaining plainly, “After review, the ball touches the hand of Nottingham Forest No.3 [Williams] before the goal is scored. The final decision is a direct free-kick for Spurs.” Absolute heartbreak for the home crowd, right there.
Talk about a gut punch. Forest was within touching distance of their first Premier League victory, and now they’re left with a single point and a whole lot of frustration. With both Tottenham and Nottingham Forest desperate to get off the mark in the league this season, every single match from here on out just got that much more intense. This controversial VAR moment is going to be talked about for a long, long time, and it definitely adds pressure as they look to finally get a win on the board.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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