During the Tottenham Hotspur versus Nottingham Forest game, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was temporarily disabled due to a fire alarm at Stockley Park.
Referee John Brooks and his assistant Dan Robathan had to evacuate the West London officiating center during halftime.
Nuno Espirito Santo`s Nottingham Forest team was leading 2-0 at halftime, with goals scored by Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood.
As the second half commenced, the officials were still unable to re-enter the Stockley Park building in West London.
A brief statement from the Premier League confirmed the situation: “Due to a fire alarm at the VAR Hub at Stockley Park, VAR will be unavailable for the match until further notice.”
The technology was out of service for approximately eight minutes in the second half before normal operation was restored.
A subsequent Premier League tweet announced: “VAR is now operational again.”
Fortunately, the system was not needed during its brief period of unavailability.
Fans reacted humorously to the disruption. One fan commented, “We experienced freedom for about a minute.”
Another added, “Whoever triggered the fire alarm deserves a promotion.”
By the time the fire alarm occurred, VAR`s new semi-automated offside technology had already been utilized at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Chris Wood had a goal disallowed for offside earlier in the match but later scored a valid goal from an Anthony Elanga cross just seven minutes after the disallowed goal.
Tottenham improved their performance in the second half, with Richarlison scoring a goal late in the game.
However, Tottenham could not equalize, and Nottingham Forest secured a 2-1 victory, enhancing their hopes for Champions League qualification.
