The former referee has weighed in on the use of VAR during the Championship play-off final at Wembley
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has chimed in on the main VAR debate from the Championship play-off final at Wembley, claiming Sheffield United’s disallowed second goal against Sunderland should have stood.
The incident occurred after the Blades seized the lead in the first half, with Harrison Burrows volleying home, only to have the goal ruled out after a VAR review. Vinícius Souza’s offside stance hindered Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson’s view, prompting the decision.
However, Hackett strongly disagreed. Taking to X (previously Twitter), the ex-referee stated, “This is a subjective choice. My immediate instinct was that the player was clearly offside. However, did he restrict the goalkeeper’s vision? My opinion is that this goal should have been permitted.”
In a follow-up post, he said, “On first glance, I said ‘offside’. Then, after reviewing the situation, I do not believe the United player interfered with the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper could see the ball, and the player’s offside did not affect his movement.
Hackett ended with a lighthearted nod to his own allegiance as a Sheffield Wednesday fan, United’s fierce local rivals: “He dived so space was available.” Distraction is not covered or part of law. The goalkeeper could see the ball. The goal should have counted, and remember that I support the Owls. “Subjective decision.”
The call ultimately proved decisive, as Sunderland won 2-1 and secured promotion to the Premier League, leaving Sheffield United to reflect on what may have been under Chris Wilder.
What have the EFL said about Sheffield United’s disallowed goal against Sunderland?
A statement issued on social media following the ruling read: “#SHUSUN – 35.” VAR OVERTURN: Burrows’ goal was originally given on the pitch. VAR decided that Vinicius Souza was in an offside position and took an obvious action that hampered the goalkeeper’s ability to play the ball. The referee reversed his previous decision, and the goal was disallowed.
What Régis Le Bris said about Sunderland’s stunning win
“It’s a fantastic scenario for us, again,” Le Bris added. “Like the semi-final, it was just spectacular. It must have been difficult for the coaches and fans, but we once again demonstrated remarkable character. Even when we were not dominant, when we battled as a team, we remained united and adhered to our strategy. Then, later in the game, you believe you can change the momentum. This was the situation today.
“We lost Luke early and had to make a substitute. At the same time, I felt safe making this substitution since we knew Meps was prepared. This season, he has been extremely amazing not only as a player, but also as a person and professional. When he left the team before the semi-finals, he promised me, ‘I will keep connected with the group, don’t worry. He demonstrated today that this behavior was extremely crucial to the squad. We switched him with Ballard since they were targeting this side with Kieffer Moore, thus we were successful.”
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