VAR told there was a major blunder during Nottingham Forest vs Brighton in the FA Cup
03/29/2025 04:45 PM
Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton endured into extra time at the AMEX Stadium, but a VAR decision could’ve seen the game concluded in the 90 minutes.
VAR wasn’t used in the FA Cup against Exeter City but the controversial officiating system was in play against Brighton, causing its usual level of debate online.
The Forest hierarchy have a difficult relationship with the technology after Evangelos Marinakis slammed VAR in an interview, with the scars of the controversial decision against Everton that led to Forest releasing a statement condemning VAR still present.
Even this season, the Forest squad have been involved with some debatable run-ins with the officials, with the latest coming in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final to damning effect.
Nottingham Forest denied penalty after ‘farce’ VAR call
The first half of the tie was rather forgettable, with Nuno Espirito Santo rotating his squad to the point where any attacking fluidity was seemingly lost.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga were introduced to reasonable impact, but it was Elliot Anderson who nearly created the game’s most crucial moment when he was seemingly brought down by Kaoru Mitoma in the box.
A penalty was awarded by Peter Bankes but VAR overturned it, to the disbelief of Forest journalist, Paul Taylor.
Taylor said: “Anderson has his leg pulled away from under him… the replay is clear. But it is overturned. Utter farce.”
It wasn’t just Taylor who felt this way, though, as respected reporter Henry Winter also made his feelings clear about VAR’s decision.
Henry Winter thinks VAR got Nottingham Forest penalty decision wrong
Even in Forest’s 7-0 win over Brighton in February, Richard Keys spotted a VAR error which shows just how difficult the relationship is between the City Ground side and the technology.
In Saturday’s case, though, the Reds look to be justified in their complaints as Winter also shared the complaints of Anderson and his teammates.
He said: “Didn't look a clear and obvious error by Bankes. Anderson was impeded by Mitoma, who was naive to fly in like that anyway, and elbow hooked Anderson's foot. Bankes gave pen (soft but still a pen), VAR told him to look again, Forest understandably angry.”
Eventually, Forest didn’t have to think about the VAR call as the Reds won their third consecutive FA Cup penalty shootout to reach the semi-final. If the result went against Espirito Santo’s side, though, questions regarding the decisions of VAR would’ve resumed once more.
