The Premier League have confirmed that semi-automatic offside technology will be in place as Manchester United travel to face Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United are back in Premier League action this Sunday as they travel to St. James’ Park to take on Newcastle United.
United, who currently sit 13th in the standings, have gone two league games without a goal but did manage to score twice in their 2-2 Europa League draw against Lyon on Thursday evening.
Rúben Amorim’s side had been finding some form ahead of the March international break, but that progress has stalled following a defeat to Nottingham Forest and consecutive draws with Manchester City and Lyon.
They now face a tough test against a Newcastle side pushing for a Champions League spot. Eddie Howe’s team are 5th in the table and will be looking to strengthen their grip on a top-five finish.
Newcastle vs United match officials
Chris Kavanagh (pictured below) will be the referee on Sunday afternoon in Newcastle. Kavanagh has officiated 20 Premier League fixtures this season, four in the Europa League, and nine others across all competitions, including three in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Kavanagh has only met United once this season, during a 3-0 loss at Old Trafford against Tottneham Hotspur, where he wrongly dismissed Bruno Fernandes early in the second half.
So far this season, Kavanagh has issued 102 yellow cards in the Premier League and 182 across all competitions. He has issued seven red cards this season and has awarded six penalties, three coming in the Premier League.
During the game, Lee Betts and Dan Cook will serve as Kavanagh’s assistant referees. Sam Barrott will be the fourth official on Sunday afternoon, separating Amorim and Howe.
Peter Bankes has been appointed as the Video Assistant Referee. Tim Wood will act as assistant VAR, just as he did in the Manchester derby.
What you need to know about semi-auto offides
Matchweek 32 of the Premier League season sees the competition introduce semi-automatic offside calling for the first time to help assist and speed VAR’s decision-making processes.
Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) is a new tool designed to support VAR by speeding up and improving the accuracy of offside decisions.
It automatically identifies the kick-point and draws offside lines on the key attacker and second-last defender, helping VAR make quicker judgments in tight offside situations.
The system uses up to 30 high-speed cameras installed around Premier League stadiums, some recording at 100 frames per second. These track the ball and up to 10,000 data points per player, allowing precise detection of player positions and movements during attacking phases.
Once SAOT generates an offside outcome, it’s reviewed and approved by the VAR. After that, a decision visual is automatically created and shared with fans in the stadium and the media, making the process faster, more accurate, and more transparent.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.