Newcastle United came out on the right side of a VAR decision in their recent win at Tottenham Hotspur.
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The Premier League Key Match Incident (KMI) Panel have released details behind the decision-making process that led to Newcastle United’s first goal in their recent win at Tottenham Hotspur being awarded after a VAR review.
The Magpies picked up their first win of the season in North London and earned their first maximum under new head coach Matthias Jaissle as goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa saw off Roberto De Zerbi’s men. However, it was Elanga’s opening goal that drew attention from VAR official Darren England after United full-back Amar Dedic strayed close to being offside during the buildup.
The Bosnia international got on the end of a stunning crossfield pass from fellow new boy Nico Gonzalez before heading the ball into Elanga’s path to allow the winger to turn and fire beyond Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky. The goal was initially awarded by referee Peter Bankes and no offside flag was raised by his assistant - and their decision was checked by the VAR officials.
The KMI Panel have since reviewed the decision itself and the process undertaken by the officials involved and explained why ‘thicker lines’ were used to assess whether Dedic was offside as he challenged for the ball with Spurs full-back Andrew Robertson.
A statement released on the Premier League website read: “From the 2021/22 season, the offside process was amended and thicker lines were introduced when assessing offside decisions. This was done to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker and to prevent marginal, or "toenail", offsides.
“When the Premier League began using semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) towards the end of the 2024/25 season, the system continued to apply the existing thicker lines, maintaining both consistency and the integrity of the competition. This came into play when Dedic was played onside by Robertson in the build-up to Newcastle's first goal. The use of the thicker lines meant that Dedic was in an onside position, and the goal scored by Elanga was correctly allowed to stand.”