It has only been two weeks since the Premier League returned, yet the newly-introduced VAR has already caused many-a-talking point, and Tottenham can thanks both its pros and cons for their recent draw with Manchester City.
On paper, Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Pep Guardiola’s side looks to be a result forged by City’s inability to finish off chances given that the hosts had 30 attempts on goal compared to Tottenham’s 3 as stats from WhoScored show.
Yet, as we know, there was a bit more than just City’s misfiring as to why Spurs managed to escape the Etihad Stadium with a point.
VAR chalked off Gabriel Jesus’ injury-time winner as replays showed that the ball brushed off Aymeric Laporte’s arm in the build-up to the goal, condemning the City fans to yet another false sense of euphoria against Tottenham after a similar incident happened in last season’s Champions League.
And then, of course, there was the penalty incident in the first-half where Erik Lamela essentially rugby tackled Rodri down in the penalty area after a City corner, a decision that did not award the hosts a chance to score from the spot.
Indeed, Tottenham can count themselves lucky in a game that has likely disrupted the race for the Premier League title early on in the season, with Liverpool claiming a 2-1 win against Southampton earlier in the day.
It is likely that such decisions in English football, namely the uncalled penalty on Rodri, will see referees review more decisions as the season progresses, and Tottenham can count themselves lucky that the infant stages of VAR in the Premier League has more or less helped them to a vital point early in the season that could have big ramifications for how the 2019/20 campaign pans out.