Coventry City contributed much to a thrilling FA Cup match at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Although Mark Robins’ team fell short by the smallest of margins, the Sky Blues can be extremely pleased of their combined efforts, which saw them come close to defeating Manchester United in the semi-final following a dramatic 120 minutes and penalty shootout at the National Stadium.
However, as with many important games this season, the exhilarating 3-3 tie was not without controversy.
Neil Littlewood, a Coventry City fan, was among the 83,672 in attendance at Wembley Stadium.
After coming back from 3-0 down to draw level through Ellis Simms, a deflected Callum O’Hare strike, and Haji Wright’s 95th-minute penalty, City were inches away from completing one of the most remarkable comebacks in the prestigious competition’s history.
O’Hare put Haji Wright through before finding Norwegian midfielder Victor Torp in the heart of the box, who snuck a shot past Andre Onana with nearly the last ball of the game, thinking he’d sent the Sky Blues to their second FA Cup final.
What seperated Victor Torp from sending Coventry to the FA Cup final 🥲#pusb #FACup pic.twitter.com/fPggFgAje5
— Danish Scout (@DanishScout_) April 21, 2024
However, Wright’s and the ‘Sky Blue Army’s delight was cut short when VAR officials Michael Salisbury, Peter Bankes, and Nick Greenhalgh determined that Wright was beyond Aaron Wan-Bissaka before passing the ball to Torp.
This decision, like many others, has divided opinion, and Littlewood began by saying, “I don’t even know where to start with this!”
“Didn’t it ruin the game?” Let us be honest. I looked back from a variety of different perspectives. Wright is motionless, but Wan-Bissaka is moving rearward. I’m not sure what advantage he gained.
“I thought VAR was supposed to be for clear and obvious errors, and that’s not a clear and obvious error,” he said.
“Go back and look at the United players; none of them appeal. (Bruno) Fernandes raises his hand at the finish because he sees (Andre) Onana doing it, but he swiftly gives up.
Littlewood concluded, “It’s extremely challenging. I am at a loss for words. It wrecked a spectacular game and one of the most memorable FA Cup stories. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
A contrasting ruling was reached on Victor Torp’s disallowed goal.
The Daily Mirror’s Chief Football Writer, John Cross, believes the decision was correct.
He remarked, “Just because it would have been a beautiful story, we cannot suddenly abandon VAR.
“I apologize for being a downer, but the offside ruling to rule out Victor Torp’s extra-time winner was correct.
Cross also believes that many football fans in general are receiving the wrong end of the stick when it comes to the decision, as the benefit of social media and technology allows for extensive zooming in on the image.
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