nottm forest vs spurs: VAR anger after 0-0 draw
Nottingham Forest and Tottenham drew 0-0 at the City Ground after VAR ruled out a late Forest goal for handball. The decision left Forest furious and extended…
NOTTINGHAM — The nottm forest vs spurs Premier League meeting ended 0-0 at the City Ground after VAR ruled out a late Nottingham Forest goal for handball. The call left Forest angry and meant both sides were still without a win in the league season.
The result carried extra weight because Forest had thought they had found a winner midway through the second half. Tottenham, meanwhile, remained part of an unusual early-season run: this is the first ever English top-flight season to see three teams fail to score in their opening three matches, with Aston Villa, Coventry and Spurs all in that group.
How the key moment unfolded
The decisive incident came after Morgan Gibbs-White’s deflected effort bobbled toward goal. Neco Williams stooped to head the ball on the goalline as Sandro Tonali tried to hook it clear, and the ball crossed the line before the check began.
Video assistant referee Peter Bankes reviewed the action and recommended the goal be disallowed. Referee Craig Pawson then announced to the City Ground: “After review, the ball touches the hand of Nottingham Forest’s No 3 before the goal is scored.”
Forest head coach Oliver Glasner said the footage was not clear enough to overturn the on-field moment. “I don’t think VAR can intervene when he’s guessing,” he said. “It was not clear and obvious. We had a briefing before the season that the threshold for VAR intervention should be very high and this is why it was a wrong intervention for me.”
Glasner added that he had watched several angles and still could not see a conclusive handball. “I’ve watched five or six different angles and to be fair, from one angle you can guess that the ball touched the arm because the shirt [of Williams] moves a little bit, but it’s not clear whether it’s [because of] the ball or Tonali on the goalline,” he said.
What it means for both clubs
The ruling mattered because Forest had been on the verge of taking all three points. Instead, the match finished level, and Spurs left with another scoreless result in a season that has started slowly in front of goal.
Williams was adamant he did not handle the ball. “I headed it in between my arms,” said the Wales defender, who this week signed a new four-year contract. He also told Sky Sports: “It’s a goal. VAR is there for when there’s a clear and obvious error, and for me, that’s not clear and obvious. I’ve seen the images back and not one moment I thought I handballed it.”
The Premier League’s Match Centre backed the review, saying: “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.”
For Spurs, the draw added to a flat start. For Forest, it turned a near-celebration into frustration in front of home supporters who responded with boos as the decision was announced. Match of the Day will air on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website at 22:30 BST, with the live text coverage now complete.
That decision — and the way it was explained — will be the talking point long after the final whistle.
