Carabao Cup VAR rules explained as Man United and Man City get important reminder

The Carabao Cup round of 16 will not feature the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Southampton and Brentford secured their places in the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening, having defeated Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.

On Wednesday night, Brighton will host Liverpool in the early kick-off. This will be followed by matches between Arsenal and Preston North End, Manchester United and Leicester City, Chelsea and Newcastle, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace before Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester City in the later tie.

Due to competition rules, VAR will not be used in this round, putting the on-field match officials firmly in the spotlight. The technology was first introduced ahead of the 2018/19 season as part of testing for its eventual introduction in the Premier League the following season.

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During that term, it was used in every round of the tournament. However, from the 2019/20 season, the English Football League decided to abandon VAR before the semi-final due to the system only being available at English top-flight venues, ensuring no team had an unfair advantage.

Therefore, the technology will only be utilised during the Carabao Cup in the semi-finals, as well as the final at Wembley Stadium. Despite many Championship stadiums installing VAR since then, the rules remain unchanged, reports Football London.

Premier League bosses have vented their frustrations over the absence of VAR at grounds where the technology is installed. Criticism peaked in December 2022, when Jurgen Klopp lamented the lack of VAR during his team's