Fans are united in their reaction to the first-ever referee VAR announcement in English football.

The first-ever VAR decision announcement in an English stadium occurred during the Spurs vs. Liverpool match, but fans shared mixed reactions to the historic moment.

Ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, a trial was introduced where referees would explain VAR decisions to fans in the stadium. This move followed widespread calls to adopt the practice, already common in other leagues. Stuart Attwell became the first referee to implement it at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The pivotal moment came when Spurs striker Dominic Solanke thought he had scored against his former club, only for replays to reveal a marginal offside call. VAR determined that Solanke was just ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the buildup. Attwell announced over the stadium’s tannoy: “After review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the build-up to the goal, therefore the decision is offside.”

While some fans appreciated the clarity, many criticized the announcement as unnecessary, especially since no replays were shown to those in attendance. One fan remarked, “Completely meaningless explanation from Stuart Attwell, at least if you’re watching on TV.” Another added, “Hearing the referee announce decisions was as pointlessly bad as expected. Now I just know what Stuart Attwell sounds like.”

Others called the system redundant, with comments like: “That VAR announcement is one of the most pointless things I’ve ever seen. Everyone knows it’s offside being checked.” Another wrote: “Hilariously pointless. It solves nothing but gives people another reason to criticize referees.”

Spurs capitalized after the disallowed goal, with Solanke assisting 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall, who scored the winner. However, controversy followed as Liverpool felt Bergvall should have been sent off for a late challenge while on a

booking.