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Man City given 'incredible' VAR verdict as six-minute Newcastle decision slammed

Newcastle United's Carabao Cup clash with Manchester City took a sour turn when Antoine Semenyo was denied his second goal of the evening via a VAR intervention which left Sky Sports commentators fuming

[Antoine Semenyo speaks with Chris Kavanagh]

Antoine Semenyo was denied a brace against Newcastle United by VAR(Image: Getty Images)

Chris Sutton was left claiming that the "game's gone" when Antoine Semenyo had a second goal against Newcastle United ruled out by VAR in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.

The Sky Blues' latest signing gave his side the lead 53 minutes into the match from the centre of the box, tapping home Jeremy Doku's deflected cross from close range.

The Ghanaian thought that he had doubled City's lead nine minutes later, connecting with Tijjani Reijnders' corner with his thigh and popping the ball past a floundering Nick Pope.

However, the forward's elation was short-lived, as VAR made the decision to intervene in the aftermath, checking a possible offside on Erling Haaland's front. While the Norwegian didn't touch the ball, he appeared to impede Malick Thiaw's ability to react to Semenyo's strike.

Referee Chris Kavanagh was invited by VAR to take a look at the incident on the pitch-side monitor, having awarded the goal at a first glance. And when he returned, his final decision was one of controversy.

Announcing his decision to rule Haaland as being offside, the official said: "After review, Manchester City number nine is in an offside position and impacts the ability of the defender. Final decision offside."

However, the decision didn't sit well with Sutton, who was on co-commentary duties for the encounter for Sky Sports. He was heard saying: "I've got to tell you, I think the game's gone.

"Is he really going to stop that Thiaw? You think the distance from Semenyo...a yard, a yard-and-a-half. Thiaw's not going to react to that. That's just a sheer guess from the referee."

[Antoine Semenyo runs with the ball]

Antoine Semenyo has been a revelation for Manchester City(Image: PA)

During the review, he also added: "You see the contact from Semenyo. Is Haaland really interfering that much with Nick Pope?" before he later said: "I've got to say, I don't see it that way.

"Look at the distance that Semenyo is away from Nick Pope. I think this would be incredibly harsh to rule this out."

While Manchester City fans inside St James' Park and watching around the world will have felt hard-done-by through the decision, it was one that was welcomed by the passionate home crowd - letting out an eruption of cheers as they were handed a lifeline.

However, the Magpies were ultimately unable to limit the deficit to just one goal on the night, with Rayan Cherki slotting home in the game's dying embers to give the Cityzens a 2-0 lead.

As a result, Newcastle will head to the second-leg of the semi-finals at the Etihad Stadium come February 4 with a mammoth task ahead of them should they hope to defend their title.

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