Manchester United return to Premier League action this weekend after booking a place in the FA Cup fifth round.. United overcame Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City last Friday night. Goals from Joshua Zirkzee and a late Harry Maguire winner against his former club saw the Reds come from behind to record a 2-1 win.. However, replays showed that Maguire’s late winner shouldn’t have stood due to him being in an offside position, much to the annoyance of Van Nistelrooy. With no Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in operation for that match, the on-field decision stood at Old Trafford.. After the game, United head coach Ruben Amorim also admitted that his team got lucky and hinted he believed VAR should have been in operation. “With VAR it’s not a goal,” he said. “I think it’s important to have VAR because it’s fair for the game. It’s hard to lose like that with an offside play. But we deserve a little bit of luck.”. It seems that the United manager will now get his wish. Ahead of United’s fifth round clash against Fulham at Old Trafford at the start of next month, the FA have confirmed three major rule changes from the previous round, here is a closer look at them;. Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Unlike during the earlier rounds, it has been confirmed by the FA, Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be in operation across all ties in the FA Cup fifth round.. The VAR will work in the same way in the FA Cup as it does in the Premier League – and will come into effect for match-changing situations. That involves; goals, penalties, straight red cards and cases of mistaken identity – with factual on-field decisions subject of the “clear and obvious error” test.. Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT). It has also been confirmed that semi-automated offsides will, after a delay, be in use from the fifth round of the competition. In a joint statement the FA, Premier League and PGMOL said:. “Semi-Automated Offside Technology will provide more efficient placements of the virtual offside line, based on optical player tracking, and [help to] produce virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in-stadium and broadcast experience for supporters. The operation of Semi-Automated Offside Technology doesn’t change the accuracy of the decision making but enhances the speed and efficiency of the process.”. Semi-automated offsides are yet to be introduced in the Premier League, but the plan now is to implement the system before the end of the current season.. In-stadium announcements. In-stadium announcements were first used in the Women’s World Cup – back in 2023 – while they have since been used in the Carabao Cup semi-finals this season. It has now been confirmed that they will be in use for FA Cup fifth round ties.. The announcements will see the match officials announce – via the stadium tannoy – their final decision in relation to incidents reviewed by VAR. The implementation is to try and offer improved clarity and understanding to fans in attendance at the game.. Get United transfer news and updates on WhatsApp!. Our team of Manchester United experts are on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for this week and beyond, and you can get the latest team news, injury updates, reaction and analysis along with inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community. You can also join the 50,000 (and growing!) band of United fans who are following our WhatsApp Channel.. Sign up to our community here, and join our WhatsApp channel here.. –. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
