Two Carabao Cup rule changes Manchester United will need to think about

Manchester United will need to be wary of two rule changes in the Carabao Cup as they embark on a semi-final clash against Nottingham Forest.

Unlike the previous rounds, VAR will be in operation during both legs of Manchester United‘s semi-final tie, and will be controlled by Peter Bankes and assisted by Tim Wood. This is not to be confused with the FA Cup rules, which state that VAR can be used in any round as long as the ground can facilitate it.

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VAR will also be in operation during the other semi-final with Newcastle United travelling to Southampton on Tuesday evening.

This is the first time in the competitions history that VAR will be used, and it will also be in operation during the final at Wembley stadium.

The other rule which is being amended for the semi-final is the re-introduction of extra time if the aggregate score between the two sides after the 90 minutes of both legs of the fixture is a draw.

As the rule which gives away goals extra weighting is no longer in play in the competition, this means that the scores for either leg do not have to be opposite and identical, if the first leg ends 0-0 and the second 2-2, the sides will have to play an extra 30 minutes, with penalties to follow if the two sides cannot be separated after a total of 210 minutes of regulation football.

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With a packed schedule ahead of them, Erik ten Hag and his Manchester United squad will be hoping that they can get the majority of the work done in the opening leg of the semi-final tie on Wednesday evening and progress to the final without the need for an additional 30 minutes at Old Trafford.