Completing a VAR review in the shortest possible time is not about skipping steps. And it was a critical mistake by Donohue and Antrobus.
Speed is a factor, but the most serious error in process came before Donohue tried to rush through the attacking phase.
Donohue asked the replay operator to stop the video on the first replay when Josko Gvardiol touched the ball to cross into the area. He then went immediately into the semi-automated offside technology.
This should not have happened.
The VAR team should have assessed the full picture, from the playing of the cross to the head of Haaland. This would have provided awareness of Fernandez’s position and impact.
They did not, and the events inside the penalty area were not considered until the attacking phase was looked at.
By then, all that mattered to Donohue and Antrobus was whether Fernandez touched the ball. This would have created a new phase and placed Haaland offside.
Donohue has received much of the criticism, but arguably Antrobus’ involvement, or lack of, was just as influential.
The AVAR’s contribution to the entire review was to utter “no, yeah” about the potential touch by Fernandez. This was one second before Donohue uttered the words “final decision is goal, check complete”.
Antrobus’ role is to provide the checks and balances, to make sure the VAR has not missed anything. This fell short.
There has been only one lengthy VAR delay this season, in the game between Brentford and Sunderland. A Dan Ballard goal was ruled out for a subjective offside against Kevin Danso.
Antrobus was the AVAR in this game, too. There was a great deal of criticism in some parts of the media for that delay, which took over four minutes.
Could that have played on Antrobus’ mind on Sunday? We cannot know for sure.
Ironically, Antrobus played a crucial role in steering VAR Tim Wood to the correct offside decision against Danso.
There is also the role of the support VAR, who sits in the operations room next to the match hub at Stockley Park and can intervene on points on protocol.
Aware of what was unfolding with the review, no action was taken.
It would still have been salvageable in the period between the goal being scored and the kick-off.
