Newcastle's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win at Aston Villa was full of controversy with the video assistant referee (VAR) once again the big talking point - even though it wasn't even in use. "When VAR is there, there is a tendency to think, 'oh well I won't give that because VAR is there to check it'. But, on the other side of that, I was wishing there was VAR for the goal they scored against us - and probably throughout the entire game." Boss Unai Emery, added: "Today it makes sense understanding that VAR is necessary. "If you ever needed any evidence of the damage that VAR has done to referees, I think today is a great example of that.

Source: BBC February 14, 2026 22:46 UTC