Manchester City booked their spot in the F.A Cup semifinals with a 3-2 victory over Championship outfit Swansea on Saturday, but things might have been different had VAR been in place.
The hosts shocked the Premier League giants after going 2-0 up, but it took the visitors just the last 20 minutes of the game to complete a comeback in controversial circumstances.
Raheem Sterling won a penalty which Sergio Aguero converted after it bounced off goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt’s body into the net, while the Argentine appeared to have been marginally offside when he grabbed the winner.
“The FA’s decision not to get the Liberty Stadium ready for VAR probably cost Swansea a place in the FA Cup semi-finals,” Clattenburg told Sportsmail.
“Manchester City’s second and third goals should not have stood. For the second, a penalty awarded for a foul on Raheem Sterling, the defender clearly got a touch on the ball. Then Sergio Aguero was offside for his winning goal. VAR should not have been needed to get those decisions right.
“Andre Marriner should have seen Sterling was not fouled, and for the offside, the assistant referee should have been in line with the second-last defender. The integrity of the FA Cup has been damaged by the use of VAR in Premier League stadiums only.”
Manager Pep Guardiola will surely be glad his side had luck on their side and their quadruple dreams are still alive.
The Swans, on the other hand, will feel hard done by with the refereeing decisions, and it’s safe to say they are still paying the price of relegation, highlighted with the lack of VAR in their stadium.
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