Steven Davis denied late winner for handball by Nathan Redmond in clash with Leicester
Wednesday 28 November 2018 09:58, UK
Southampton boss Mark Hughes insisted VAR got it wrong after Steven Davis was denied a late winner in their Carabao Cup clash at Leicester.
The Saints substitute thought he had scored in the 82nd minute of Tuesday's fourth-round tie, but referee Roger East disallowed the goal for a handball by Nathan Redmond in the build-up as the ball deflected onto his hand and into Davis' path.
Leicester went on to win 6-5 on penalties to set up a quarter-final clash against Manchester City, but Hughes insists the decision was wrong, despite the intervention of technology which is available in Carabao Cup ties this season.
"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."
The incident came just over a fortnight after Southampton striker Charlie Austin made a vociferous plea for VAR to be used in the Premier League after he was denied a goal against Watford.
"In recent weeks, we have demanded it be introduced immediately, so we can't complain too much," Hughes added in his post-match press conference.
"But if the guys behind the screen looking at a situation slow it down to 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."
However, Leicester manager Claude Puel joked that he is a fan of the technology after it helped to keep his side in the Carabao Cup.
"After this game, I wish we had VAR all the time," he said.
