Mark Hughes Left Annoyed After VAR Decision Ends Southampton's Carabao Cup Progress
Southampton manager Mark Hughes was left frustrated by a VAR decision that ended the Saints' Carabao Cup run on Tuesday night. Southampton went on to lose the game via a penalty shootout after the VAR decision went Leicester City's way.
Southampton visited the King Power Stadium for their 4th round Carabao Cup tie with Leicester. With the game tied 0-0, the visitors thought they had snatched a late winner through Steven Davis in the 82nd minute, only for it to be denied by VAR. Referee Roger East denied the goal due to a handball by Saints forward Nathan Redmond in the build-up to the goal.
Leicester went on to win 6-5 on penalties as Hughes was left frustrated at the use of technology, insisting the decision was wrong.
"We've had a perfectly good goal chalked off by VAR," he told Sky Sports.
"It doesn't matter if it's judged by video or by the referee. The referee, in fairness to him, actually said if it wasn't for VAR, he would have given it because it happened so quickly."
"I'm an advocate of VAR, I have to say, but sometimes when you slow things down, deliberate handball looks a little bit more easy to spot.
"But if the guys behind the screen looking at a situation slow it down to the nth-degree, then something that is not deliberate in real time then looks deliberate when it is not.
"From our point of view, it is a valid goal that should have stood and we should've won the tie. I suppose the more the system is used the better it will get."
The controversy comes after Saints striker Charlie Austin was denied a goal because of a bizarre offside call when Southampton drew at home to Watford two weeks ago.