Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner has escalated his criticism of VAR official Peter Bankes, saying the video review that disallowed Neco Williams's goalline header against Tottenham amounted to "guessing" rather than a clear and obvious decision, and warned that such interventions undermine referees' authority. The incident, which saw Williams's effort ruled out for an alleged handball as he headed in Morgan Gibbs-White's deflected shot, was the pivotal moment in an otherwise goalless and largely uneventful Premier League draw between two winless sides.

Glasner said he had studied five or six camera angles and while one suggested Williams's shirt moved slightly, it was unclear whether this was caused by the ball or by Sandro Tonali's attempted clearance, insisting the threshold for VAR intervention agreed before the season was not met. Referee Craig Pawson announced via pitchside microphone that the ball had touched Williams's hand before the goal, prompting boos from the home crowd, while Williams, who signed a new four-year contract this week, insisted he headed the ball "in between my arms" and it never clearly struck them. Tottenham, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, failed to register a shot on target for the third straight league match, extending their winless start, with both clubs now facing pivotal fixtures next weekend against Everton and Aston Villa respectively.