Derby County fans were astonished when Norwich City were permitted to go on and score their first goal.
There were approximately 30,000 people in the stadium who could see it, as well as tens of thousands more watching on television – but, importantly for Derby County, neither the flag nor the whistle did.
Derby supporters, staff, and players, as well as Norwich fans and neutrals, were taken aback when Norwich allowed Borja Sainz to score the opening goal despite Josh Sargent crossing from a foot beyond the touchline. Sargent’s initial shot was blocked, and the bounce went well out of play, but referee Oliver Langford and his assistants did not intervene.
Don Goodman, a Sky Sports pundit, stated, “Oh, that’s well out. Oh my gosh, good grief. If the assistant had been on the other side, you might almost forgive the decision, but it’s not even close.”
There was also controversy over two other goals in Norwich’s 3-2 victory. Derby thought they had earned a corner, but Jack Stacey kicked upfield, resulting in Sainz’s decisive hat-trick goal. Norwich also claimed that Corey Blackett-Taylor’s Derby goal should have been disallowed for offside.
Derby manager Paul Warne asked, “Would I like to see it [VAR] after today? Of course. But I do not know. I just think the game is becoming more complex. We’re talking inches here and there, but even though I would have preferred it today, you might argue that our second goal was offside. Even if you have VAR, it is still a matter of opinion.”
Johannes Hoff Thorup was one of the few who said he didn’t know Norwich’s opening should have been called off.
He said, “I believe we need VAR. He runs the best league around here, and I know there’s a lot of debate over rulings every week. But mistakes will always happen, and I will not sit here and blame the refs every Saturday. We just need to make sure we support them, whether it’s video systems or other ideas. That’s how you support these guys.
“Their second goal was definitely offside, which isn’t significant, but it will happen if we don’t back these players. There will be continual talks, but we must provide them with all of the necessary assistance. I come from a league in Denmark that uses VAR, and I played in Europe last season, which also uses VAR.
“There will always be mistakes, and I will not sit here and fault the referees for their performance – think if we were out there refereeing such a game; I was relieved I was in charge! But I prefer the idea that we make as many correct selections as possible. That should be the goal moving forward.
