'The goal must stand' – Glasner fumes at VAR after draw with Spurs

Oliver Glasner claimed the VAR was "guessing" and should not have ruled out Neco Williams' goal in Nottingham Forest's 0-0 draw with Tottenham in the Premier League.

Forest's winless start under Glasner continued on Saturday, though they had the better chances to win the game and had the ball in the back of the net in the 66th minute.

Morgan Gibbs-White's shot was saved by Antonin Kinsky, but Sandro Tonali failed to clear the looping ball, and Williams bravely stooped to bundle it over the goal line, seemingly turning it in off his head.

However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review, as the ball was deemed to have hit his hand immediately before it crossed the line, leaving Forest to settle for a point.

"It feels like we lost two points because I watched a few situations back, and I think the goal must stand," Glasner told BBC Match of the Day. 

"I think the VAR can't intervene when he is guessing. It's not clear and obvious.

"We had a briefing before the season that the VAR threshold should be high again, and I think it was not clear and obvious.

"For me, it is a clear penalty when Neco Williams gets fouled, because [Mohammed] Kudus doesn't even jump into the ball and when this situation happens anywhere on the pitch, it is always a foul. In these two situations, we were not very lucky.

"Huge fight from both teams and, like last year, every game is decided by small margins. I think we had them on our side, but if there is a disallowed goal in such a tight game, we have to take the point."

Glasner is winless in his last 10 Premier League games (D5 L5) with both Crystal Palace and Forest, with this being the longest run without a win in his managerial career since May 2023 with Eintracht Frankfurt (also 10).

Forest have now failed to win each of their opening three matches of a campaign for the very first time in the Premier League, while it is the first time in the top flight since 1990-91.

They did not face a single shot on target from Spurs, and although Forest only accumulated 0.7 expected goals (xG), they got two of their 12 attempts on target.

Williams remained adamant the goal should have stood, denying that it struck his arm amid the chaos in the box.

"It's a goal," Williams told Sky Sports.

"VAR is there when there is a clear and obvious error, and for me that is not clear and obvious. I've seen the images and the replays and at not one moment did I think I handballed it. I headed it in between my arms.

"I knew straight away I'd headed it down in between my arms. At a loss at that one. Disappointing."