Romelu Lukaku, you might have noticed, was standing in an offside position when Nemanja Matic thundered home his stoppage time winner for Manchester United on Monday night.
It would have been harsh to rule he was interfering with play, but nevertheless, it was still deemed worthy of a few seconds of discussion in the post-game analysis on Sky Sports’Â Monday Night Football.
And so, as is to be expected given the events of recent weeks, the thoughts of some will at this point have turned to VAR and two questions. One: Would the goal still have counted had VAR been in operation at Selhurst Park? Yes, almost certainly. Two: Would the referee have consulted the technology to be absolutely certain? From what we’ve seen of it so far, yes, he probably would.
It is the second of those questions that is the more important one here. Regardless of whether late goals are cancelled out by VAR or whether it is even consulted, its mere presence is enough to take away – or at the very least spoil – one of the loveliest things about football: the sheer joy of an important late goal.
As Matic’s shot hit the back of the net, Selhurst Park’s away end erupted. A couple of thousand pairs of limbs flapped about in wild celebration, people tumbled forward over rows of seats, luminous jacket-clad stewards looked nervously at each other as they tried to prevent United supporters from spilling over the advertising hoardings and onto the pitch.
Watching your side score a decisive last-gasp goal – be it one as spectacular as Matic’s or one that your central defender bundles home from a corner with his right arse cheek – is one of the the most exhilarating feelings a football fan can experience. In terms of release, it probably can’t be topped by anything else in the entire sport.
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VAR guidelines as to what constitutes a ‘clear and obvious error’ seem to become increasingly unclear as the weeks and months pass by. It is entirely possible that by the time it is eventually rolled out in the Premier League – and it will be – this will remain an issue. If so, imagine having to rein in your celebrations for a couple of minutes while your side’s late Derby Day winner is verified by some bloke in a faraway room full of television screens. Even if VAR is not consulted, the fact that it could be might make many a football fan think twice about fully committing in those precious few seconds after the ball hits the back of the net. Something will very definitely be lost.
Nobody is doubting that VAR’s purpose is for the greater good of football. But for all its farcical showings and squiggly line controversies to date, perhaps it is worth considering that – in the pursuit of perfection – we may well lose the single greatest feeling the game has to offer.
