VAR chalks off Nottingham Forest’s second vs Liverpool for handball - and it was the correct call

Nottingham Forest briefly thought they had a 2-0 cushion against Liverpool, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for handball. The stadium erupted, the timeline split, and the noise was deafening. I’ve been in these moments on the pitch, heart racing, certain you’ve scored. But the laws are clear on how an attacking handball is handled when it leads straight to a goal. In this case, the on-field review was decisive. It stung for Forest, helped Liverpool breathe, and turned the game’s momentum into a tactical tussle rather than a runaway scoreline.

The incident occurred during a high-intensity Premier League clash at the City Ground between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. Forest put the ball in the net for what looked like a 2-0 lead before the referee was advised by the VAR to review a potential handball in the attacking phase. After a monitor check, the referee disallowed the goal for handball, returning the scoreline to a single-goal margin and shifting the game’s emotional tempo.

IT'S 2-0 FORREST BUT VAR CHECK FOR HANDBALL... GOAL RULED OUT! WOW MENTAL

@ThaEuropeanLad

Impact Analysis

Most voices yelled never a handball. That chorus is loud after any big moment, especially when a second goal might bury an opponent. But strip the emotion away and the decision lines up with Law 12 and the latest IFAB guidance. If the goalscorer’s arm or hand touches the ball, even accidentally, and that contact immediately results in a goal, the strike must be disallowed. If the ball catches an attacker’s arm in the build-up and the team scores within one or two direct actions, the referee judges material impact, arm position, and the immediacy of the phase. The replays indicated a brush on the forearm before the finish. The arm was not pinned, the surface area expanded, and the touch affected control before the shot. That is enough.

From a competition standpoint, a 2-0 lead changes everything. Forest could have protected space, forced Liverpool to overcommit, and played transitions. By reversing the goal, the game stayed live. Psychologically, Liverpool gained oxygen and control of tempo. Forest had to reset mentally and tactically, which is far harder than people think. I remember losing a cup tie to a similar VAR handball - you feel robbed, even when the law is against you. This call will be filed as yet another VAR controversy, but by the book it is correct, and it preserves a standard that players and coaches can plan around.

Reaction

The community split into familiar camps. Some fans shouted LiVARpool, claiming the big club safety net kicked in again. Others said never a handball with laughing emojis, insisting there was no clear view of contact. A few Liverpool supporters were disarmingly honest - we got let off there - and one even argued they should be 2-0 down. Bettors unleashed the cashout denied line, comparing the match to a volatile slot. The tribal noise drowned out the nuance of the law, which happens every weekend.

There was also confusion from neutral observers asking where on earth is the handball. That’s the modern problem - broadcast angles can hide the micro-touch that VAR sees on the calibrated feeds. When you add confirmation bias, people only remember angles that fit their view. Some tangential chatter popped up too, from training-ground hype to unrelated player talk, which shows how quickly online discourse veers off. Strip all that away and you find a more balanced thread of comments accepting the call after the slow-motion frame shows the forearm brush. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the law.

Social reactions

Liverpool this season

Randy🏦 (@randydid)

We got let off there tbh

Slendy (@LFCslendy)

VAR doing its usual “cashout denied” routine 😭 game moving like a volatile slot right now.

The Dewies (@The_Dewies)

Prediction

Expect the referee audio to be requested for transparency. If released, it will likely confirm a factual trigger - contact with the goalscorer’s arm, immediate control, then finish. Managers will lean into familiar scripts. The side hurt will question the threshold for clear and obvious. The side helped will say the system worked. On the pitch, Liverpool usually pivot well after these reprieves by tightening rest defense and controlling the next 10 minutes. Forest, if coached right, will channel the frustration into targeted presses on the flanks and set piece pressure.

Moving forward, teams will adapt in the box. Coaches increasingly drill attackers to keep arms tight when receiving in crowded areas and to avoid any forearm cushioning on miscontrols. Analysts will clip this sequence into dressing-room briefings. The next time a similar goal goes in, you will see players immediately gesture arm across chest to sell innocence - and smart defenders demanding a check. In the table picture, single calls like this often swing two to three points across a month. It will not decide a season, but it can decide a run of form.

Latest today

• VAR storm after allowed goal in England - why the referee was right
• Lamine Yamal’s grandmother heads to Spotify Camp Nou, lifting Barça’s mood before kickoff
• Cristiano Ronaldo's sister fires back over rumored Trump White House visit - fans split on...
• Manchester United closing in on £55m double swoop for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazrao...

Conclusion

I’ve been on both sides of this. As a player, it feels cruel. As someone who studies the law now, it is straightforward. The referee applied the criteria the game agreed upon. Attacking handball that directly precedes a goal is punished, even if unintentional, when it helps control or the scorer benefits immediately. The outcry is predictable because nobody likes a clinical interpretation when it kills a big moment. But players and coaches need consistency more than vibes.

The better lesson is practical. Attackers must tidy their first touch in the area and keep arms inside the frame. Coaches should plan emotionally for VAR swings - rehearse the next phase after a goal given or chalked off. Forest will feel hard done by, and I get it. Liverpool will feel relieved and then judged for it, as usual. The tape says the officials got this right. It is not glamorous, but it is correct, and that is what the competition deserves.