Glasner criticises VAR decision after Williams goal disallowed for handball
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Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner has hit out at VAR after Neco Williams's goalline header was ruled out for handball during a goalless draw with Tottenham, accusing referee Peter Bankes of "guessing" rather than applying the required high threshold for overturning an on-field decision. Williams himself strongly denied any handball, insisting he headed the ball down between his arms, while Glasner argued that even the clearest replay angle was ambiguous about whether the shirt movement came from the ball or from Sandro Tonali's attempted clearance. The dispute overshadowed an otherwise poor Premier League contest at the City Ground, with both sides now still winless this season.
Williams stooped in on the goalline midway through the second half after Morgan Gibbs-White's deflected shot bobbled goalwards, but referee Craig Pawson overturned it following a VAR review, announcing the ball had touched Williams's hand. Beyond the controversy, Tottenham failed to record a single shot on target for a third straight league match, with new signing Sávio and Destiny Udogie both withdrawn after an hour on medical advice, and Mykhailo Mudryk making his first appearance in 645 days following a doping ban. Both clubs face pivotal fixtures next weekend, Spurs at home to Everton and Forest away at Aston Villa, as questions grow over Tottenham's £300m-plus summer spending yielding no goals so far this season.
- Glasner says VAR "guessed" in disallowing Williams's goal for handball
- Williams denies handball, says ball was headed between his arms
- Spurs still goalless after three league games; both teams winless
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Nottingham Forest and Tottenham played out a goalless draw in the Premier League, a match that became notable for a disallowed goal rather than the football itself. Forest's Neco Williams appeared to head the ball in from close range, but the referee, guided by the video assistant referee (VAR), ruled it out for handball, denying Forest what would have been the game's only goal.
VAR is the video review system used in English football to check certain refereeing decisions, including potential handballs before a goal. It is only meant to overturn the referee's on-field call when there is clear and obvious evidence of an error. Forest's head coach, Oliver Glasner, has publicly questioned whether that standard was met in this case, while Williams has denied handling the ball at all.
The incident matters beyond one match because both Forest and Tottenham are still without a win this season, adding pressure to their upcoming fixtures. It also feeds into a wider, ongoing debate in English football about how VAR is used and whether its handball decisions are consistent and fair.
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