Nottingham Forest have been informed that they were adversely affected by a VAR error during last month’s 3-2 win over Southampton at the City Ground.
Defender Nikola Milenkovic believed he had extended his team’s lead to 4-1, reinstating a three-goal advantage in the second half against the Saints.
However, his header was disallowed, and now the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel has concluded that the goal should have stood.
Referee Anthony Taylor initially awarded the goal, but after being instructed to review the incident on the pitchside monitor by VAR official Graham Scott, he overturned his decision.
Scott advised Taylor to disallow the goal, claiming that striker Chris Wood had interfered with play from an offside position.
Wood was deemed to have obstructed Southampton defenders, despite not touching the ball. An independent panel has since ruled that “the goal should have been given.”
At the time of the disallowed goal, the Premier League Match Centre posted a statement on social media platform X, stating:
“The referee’s call of goal was checked by VAR, who deemed that Wood interfered with play after coming from an offside position. After an on-field review, the referee overturned the original decision and the goal was disallowed.”
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ultimately secured the three points, but they had to endure a late fightback from Southampton.
After Milenkovic’s header was ruled out, the visitors scored another goal, and only a last-minute goalline clearance by Ola Aina prevented the match from ending in a 3-3 draw.
Premier League officials have acknowledged 13 VAR errors in the top flight this season. The KMI panel identified four incorrect VAR interventions, including the one involving Milenkovic, and nine missed interventions during the first 23 rounds of matches.
The Premier League’s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, told the BBC: “Nobody here underestimates the significance and the impact of one single error. We know that one single error can cost clubs. Points and results can cost managers positions, potentially players their place.”
The three other incorrect VAR interventions highlighted by the KMI panel were Dango Outtara’s disallowed late winner for Bournemouth against Newcastle United in August, a penalty awarded to West Ham United in their win over Manchester United in October, and a red card shown to Brentford’s Christian Norgaard against Everton in November.
The Premier League did not specify the nine missed interventions by VAR. Meanwhile, Scholes mentioned that “significant progress” has been made with semi-automated offside technology, and it could still be implemented before the end of the season.