FA Cup: Lack of video assistant referee technology felt in fourth round

In recent years, football fans have become accustomed to debating the use of technology in matches. However, the absence of technology became a frequently discussed topic during the fourth round of the FA Cup this season.

With Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology only being implemented from the fifth round onwards this season, several controversial incidents have arisen, warranting in-depth analysis. Some have welcomed the absence of VAR, such as Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler, who believes his team's winning goal against Chelsea might have been disallowed for a handball by Tariq Lamptey if VAR had been in use.

Hürzeler told BBC Sport: "But that's football. With VAR, football wouldn't be as emotional as it is today. Everyone agreed that the atmosphere was great today. You can celebrate a goal because you're sure it's a goal. I'm very happy it was like that."

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca disagreed, suggesting his team might still be in the FA Cup if VAR had been available. "I think the handball is quite clear. In the last two or three days, there have been many different moments in different games, and without VAR, sometimes it's more complicated," Maresca said. However, he added: "Sometimes even with VAR, you don't know if it will be given as a handball. I don't know. We've seen many handballs this season, but VAR hasn't intervened."

Even Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim admitted that Harry Maguire's dramatic winning goal against Leicester City on Friday was offside and should not have stood. Several other high-profile incidents occurred in Saturday's games, and there are five more matches to be played over the next three days.

The Football Association confirmed in December that VAR technology would only be introduced from the fifth round onwards to ensure "a consistent approach to officiating across all ties in the competition at the same stage." VAR had previously only been used at Premier League grounds and Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup semi-finals and final due to infrastructure and operational costs.

According to league officials, there have been 13 VAR errors in the Premier League so far this season, down from 20 during the same period last season. However, it is even more perplexing that goal-line technology is already in use at Premier League and Champions League grounds – wherever the infrastructure exists – although it is not universally available.

This includes at St Andrew's, where Newcastle United beat Birmingham City, with Joe Willock's controversial equalizing goal being awarded after it was deemed to have crossed the goal line. Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given said on BBC One after that game: "I think it's refreshing not having VAR, and I wish it was like that for the whole game." "If there's any doubt, you have to give Birmingham City the benefit of the doubt, but the linesman was adamant [Willock's shot crossed the line]."

But on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Birmingham defender Matthew Upson said it was "impossible to tell" whether the ball had crossed the line. This situation could have been resolved instantly with goal-line technology, which uses the Hawk-Eye system to detect the exact position of the ball. "We haven't got a definitive answer, we've looked at it 100 times," former Blues player Curtis Davies said on BBC One. "When the computer makes the decision, you've got nowhere to point the finger. This is more like guesswork. I don't know how the linesman has come to that final decision."

Here are some specifics of the matches: Birmingham City 2-3 Newcastle United: Birmingham City goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell was behind the goal line, but he thought he had kept out Joe Willock's close-range shot. The linesman signaled for a Newcastle goal, and the decision stood because the League One leaders' home ground does not have the technology. Leyton Orient 1-2 Manchester City: Leyton Orient's Jamie Turley wrote his name into cup folklore – but should it have counted? Manchester City recovered completely from the shock of going behind to Turley's 50-yard strike, with the visitors arguing that Nico Gonzalez was fouled by Sonny Perkins in the build-up. Manchester United 2-1 Leicester City: Harry Maguire scored a controversial late winner for FA Cup holders Manchester United, heading in Bruno Fernandes' free-kick in the 93rd minute. But replays showed that Maguire was clearly offside from the set-piece, but it was missed by the on-field officials. Brighton 2-1 Chelsea: Tariq Lamptey's shot was blocked and clearly struck his arm. Chelsea failed to clear, and moments later, Facundo Buonanotte found Kaoru Mitoma, who scored Brighton's winner.