Sixteen wins. That's all a team needs to hoist the Stanley Cup.

For some clubs, achieving the feat takes decades. For the Vegas Golden Knights, it took six years.

Vegas secured the first Cup victory in franchise history last spring by downing the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars en route to overwhelming the Florida Panthers in a five-game Final that Vegas controlled from the start.

At times, the Golden Knights made earning those 16 wins look easy. But will Vegas' playoff run appear as effortless as it attempts to repeat as Cup champion?

Only eight teams in NHL history have won the Cup in consecutive years. Just two (the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning) have accomplished that in this millennium.

This has been a different season for the Golden Knights. Whereas last year Vegas entered the playoffs after a powerhouse regular season (as the Western Conference's top seed), this time around the Golden Knights battled their way to a late berth and barely approached the 100-point mark. Vegas has toggled between dominant and docile. Its identity hasn't always been clear -- except when it comes to pushing the envelope.

Vegas did just that, chasing after prized skaters at the trade deadline and landing Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl for exactly this time of year. What sort of impact will they have on the Golden Knights' chances to go back-to-back? What do the numbers say about Vegas now compared to last season? And what do players and executives around the league have to say about this year's squad -- and the challenge before them of winning a second Cup?

What the analytics say about Vegas' chances

The numbers may not lie, exactly. But they don't always tell the whole truth, either.

That's the case here when comparing this season's Golden Knights to the team that hoisted the Stanley Cup last June. On paper, Vegas appears nearly identical to that championship squad.

Let's break it down:

The 2022-23 Golden Knights averaged 3.26 goals per game (14th), 2.74 goals against per game (22nd), had the 18th-ranked power play (20%), 19th-best penalty kill (77%), were ninth in goal differential (+42), seventh in scoring chances per game (15.1) and eighth in expected goals differential (53.8%), with a collective save percentage of .911 (seventh overall). Vegas finished the season with 111 points and was first in the Pacific Division.

Most of Vegas' figures in 2023-24 stack up similarly -- with a couple of outliers. This season's team averaged 3.24 goals per game (13th), 2.98 goals against per game (22nd), had the 19th-ranked power play (20%) and the 15th-best penalty kill (80%). Those numbers trend close year-over-year.

The notable differences this season were in goal differential (+21, 12th overall), expected goals (52.1%, 13th) and scoring chances per game (15.6, 14th). Vegas' goaltending struggled more this season than last as well -- the Golden Knights had a collective save percentage of .902 (10th overall), were 20th in goals saved above expectations and 11th in goals against.

That data suggests Vegas should have fared better this season than being the eighth seed in the Western Conference. But this season has revealed two distinct versions of the Golden Knights: one starting the season, and one finishing it.

Vegas opened 2023-24 with an 11-0-1 record and by mid-December had lost consecutive games in regulation just once. The Golden Knights didn't truly dip until going 1-5-0 from around Christmas into their Winter Classic dud against Seattle on Jan. 1. It was a poor omen for Vegas, though. The Golden Knights never recaptured the dominance they displayed to start the season.

Things got worse after the All-Star break.

Since mid-February, Vegas is averaging 3.44 goals against per game (23rd), allowing 30.5 shots per game (19th) and their goal differential has tanked (-2 overall). Those defensive issues have spotlighted the goaltending problems, particularly from Adin Hill, who has gone 5-8-0, with an .877 save percentage and 3.73 goals-against average.

Vegas is prone to trading opportunities off the rush, ranking 19th in rush scoring chances per game, while giving up the 10th most in the league. The Golden Knights were also 18th in cycle scoring chances, meaning Vegas could be exposed in the playoffs by a team that scores consistently off the rush or has a structure taking away the Golden Knights' rush attack.

If it weren't for Vegas' strong start, the overall numbers would be trending further from where the Golden Knights perched a year ago in most categories. Injuries have once again played a role in Vegas' season, but its trade deadline additions -- specifically Hanifin on the blue line and Anthony Mantha up front -- have helped soothe some of what's ailed it at 5-on-5 and special teams.

The Golden Knights went 11-5-1 since the March 8 deadline passed, and that's been mostly without their other highly prized acquisition, Hertl, who just debuted in April following February knee surgery.

Logan Thompson has also rebounded in that post-deadline stretch, going 7-2-0 with a .924 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average. That bodes well for him as Vegas' potential starter going into the first round over Hill, who had a memorable playoff run last year as the Golden Knights' unexpected No. 1 in net.

The real question now is: Which Vegas will we see in the postseason? The elite-looking squad that could dominate in all three phases? Or the more vulnerable group that's susceptible to long stretches of mediocre performance?

Let the real games begin.

What the league says about Vegas -- and the difficulty of going back-to-back

Perhaps the place to start when it comes to the Golden Knights' bid for a consecutive title is the difficulty that comes with winning back-to-back championships. The most recent team to do it was the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

"It was very challenging for I'd say both," said Seattle Kraken forward Yanni Gourde, who was part of those Lightning teams that won two in a row. "The first was in the bubble, and the bubble was very challenging mentally. It was a lot that first year. The second year, you're back to regular hockey in the playoffs with the crowd and traveling and all that stuff. They each felt very different in their own way."

Kraken defenseman Brian Dumoulin, who won back-to-back Cups with the Pens in 2016 and 2017, voiced a similar sentiment to Gourde's in terms of a team's mentality. He said winning a Stanley Cup comes with a natural sense of accomplishment, but with the notion it could work one of two ways for a team.

It can serve as the motivation to win a second in a row. Or it could work against a team because there might be some players who were satisfied with their first championship and may not push as hard to go for another one.

Another point Dumoulin raised was how teams that have won a Stanley Cup typically receive more attention and come with fewer questions.

Before a team wins a Stanley Cup, it faces questions about if it is good enough to win it all. Once the team wins, though, it is no longer a secret. It's now about how does the team continue to win while knowing everyone is trying to figure out ways to not only beat it, but have the answers over a seven-game series if it gets to that point.

"I think it's like that in the regular season too, putting yourself in a position to win, [trying to get] home-ice advantage, especially with a team like Vegas," Dumoulin said. "They're always good at home just like we were in Pittsburgh. ... It gets kind of harder and harder to even play in the regular season that following year too, because you have a target on your back. That's definitely a factor."

Practically every conversation around the Golden Knights' title defense starts with how they returned 20 players from last year's championship team. It's a group that ranges from reigning Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault to All-Stars such as Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo to key depth players such as defensive pairing Nicolas Hague and Zach Whitecloud.

Last year saw the Golden Knights win the Pacific Division and the Western Conference to gain home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. This season, however, they enter the playoffs as a No. 8 seed.

That's not to say lower seeds cannot pull off upsets. It happened twice in the opening round of last year's playoffs when the wild-card Florida Panthers upset the top-seeded Boston Bruins, and the then-defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche were ousted by the Seattle Kraken.

"I think the biggest thing is how many good teams there are," Dumoulin said. "Obviously, with the salary cap not going up, teams are spending to the cap. It's almost every team that has a good quality team and the difference in that first-round game, it's no easy matchup. It's going to be a battle no matter who they play."

Dumoulin's point about the number of teams that could challenge for the Stanley Cup because they are spending to the cap has merit. Cap Friendly's data shows the Nashville Predators are the only Western Conference team in a playoff spot with more than $1 million in projected cap space. The next-closest team is the Winnipeg Jets, with less than $500,000 in cap space.

The Golden Knights are among those teams that had no cap space entering the postseason.

Even with their cap limitations, the Golden Knights were extremely active entering the trade deadline. Moving captain Mark Stone to long-term injured reserve was one of the moves that allowed them to free up the necessary space to get Hanifin, Hertl and Mantha.

Part of what has allowed Vegas to have success over the past few years is its ability to assimilate new players. They've done it with Eichel, Pietrangelo, Stone and Ivan Barbashev, among others, over the last few years.

But how difficult is it to welcome new faces to a team that's already good? Especially when that team is trying to win a second Stanley Cup in a row?

Gourde said it starts with how ingrained a team's culture is within the dressing room. He said that often served as a blueprint to help players mesh with their new teammates.

"When we had a new guy who walked in, he knew what was expected," Gourde said. "He knew what was needed out of each and every one of us. It was kind of the unwritten rule that this was the standard, that this was the culture and that's what it was. Each guy that jumped into our lineup in those years was willing to do that and were also willing to go above and beyond to win games."

Dumoulin said he was interested to see what the Golden Knights would look like once they have their full complement of players. He recalled the last time the Kraken played the Golden Knights in late March. The Golden Knights won 3-1 -- and that was without Hertl, Pietrangelo and Stone.

Vegas won last season by relying on its depth. It's what allowed the Golden Knights to navigate their injuries this season. And Gourde is among those who believe that depth could once again prove vital in the postseason.

"Their fourth line -- the way they played," Gourde said of the Knights' depth advantage. "The way they switched momentum in games. I thought they pushed teams out, and if your fourth line does that, it gives a lot of success to the other lines that come in. All of sudden, they're facing a third line that's been in their zone for a minute because they just grinded a shift through that fourth line who was just all over. That's the game within the game. It's those details of setting the next line up."

Gourde would know. And if the Knights can keep leveraging that depth advantage, they could be playing hockey well into June again this year.

Frenkie de Jong will miss the last six games of Barcelona's season after sustaining another ankle injury in Sunday's 3-2 Clásico defeat against Real Madrid, a source confirmed to ESPN.

De Jong, 26, was taken off just before half-time after contesting the ball with Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

The Netherlands international will not feature again this season, but a source told ESPN he should be fit for this summer's European Championship in Germany.

The Netherlands kick off their tournament against Poland on June 16, with games against France and Austria to follow in the group stage.

It is the third time this season De Jong has suffered an ankle injury.

He missed 10 games between September and November after spraining his ankle against Celta Vigo and another four matches in March with a similar problem.

"The injuries have been a bit unlucky," De Jong told ESPN before the Clásico on Friday.

"The first one someone fell on my ankle which left me with a syndesmosis thing which is a tough injury and then I had an injury on the same ankle again [in March] which was a tough blow."

Defeat at the weekend left Barça 11 points behind LaLiga leaders Madrid with just 11 games to go.

The loss followed Champions League elimination against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.

With the team already out of the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey, they are likely to end the season trophyless as they relinquish the LaLiga title they won last year to Madrid.

Barça still need to finish second, though, to guarantee their participation in next season's Super Cup, with Girona just two points behind them in third.

Valencia are next up for the Blaugrana on April 29, with Xavi Hernández's side closing the campaign with fixtures against Girona, Real Sociedad, Almería, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla

Former Manchester United manager José Mourinho has bemoaned the level of support he was offered during his time at the club, saying that results could have been better had he been afforded the trust and support that Erik ten Hag has enjoyed.

Mourinho coached United from 2016 to 2018, winning a Europa League and Carabao Cup in that time, but was sacked with his team 11 points adrift of the Champions League places in December 2018. He told The Telegraph that his rapport with then chief executive Ed Woodward made achieving results more challenging.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"My relationship with [former chief executive] Ed Woodward was good. Good as in the personal point of view," Mourinho said. "Even now we send an SMS. But from a professional point of view it was not the best. I am who I am. I am a football man. Ed comes from a different background and what Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United I didn't have.

"I didn't have that level of support. I didn't have that level of trust. So I left sad, because I felt I was in the beginning of the process. In some moments, I felt if they trusted me and believed in my experience things could be different."

Mourinho added that there are members of United's squad now that he wanted to get rid of during his tenure owing to their lack of professionalism.

"There are still a couple of players still there I didn't want five or six years ago," he said. "I think they represent a little bit what I consider not the best professional profile to a club of a certain dimension. But I did my job there. Time always tells the truth. I would love Manchester United to succeed."

Mourinho's time at United was punctuated by fallouts with senior players, including Paul Pogba and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who said last week that the Portuguese manager exiled him from the dressing room without cause.

Asked by The Telegraph about Pogba's four-year suspension for a doping offence, Mourinho expressed his sympathy for the 2018 World Cup winner's situation.

"I am not enjoying Paul's situation at all," he said. "The only thing I say is that it happens with almost everybody in some moments of your career: you lose a little bit the sense of who you are and what you have to be.

"The season after France won the World Cup, I think Paul came back different. The World Cup brought him into a dimension where football was not the most important thing for him."

Ten Hag's future at United remains up in the air following Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club and subsequent revamp. They reached the FA Cup final for a second successive season on Sunday, requiring penalties to overcome Coventry City despite having led 3-0 against the lower-tier opposition.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández still has not made a decision on his future and will meet with the club's hierarchy in the coming days as they push for him to remain in charge next season, multiple sources have told ESPN.

Xavi, 44, announced in January that he plans to step down at the end of the season, but there has been a growing clamour in recent weeks for him to reverse his decision.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

President Joan Laporta, vice president Rafa Yuste and sporting director Deco have all voiced their desire for Xavi to remain at the helm.

Sources told ESPN that the club's stance has not changed despite what is looking like a trophy-less season after defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid left Barça out of Europe and 11 points off the pace in LaLiga with just six games to play.

Sources also told ESPN that there is a loose plan for a meeting either this week or next, with Xavi's camp aware that the club need to know his intentions so they can prepare for next season.

Barça are unable to invest a lot of money in a new coach due to the club's delicate financial situation, and the board, despite this week's disappointing results, value the work done by Xavi since he took over in 2021.

Sources told ESPN that Xavi could reconsider his decision if he receives certain guarantees with regard to squad planning and signings ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Xavi has always insisted that his decision to step down is the right one, but he will listen to what the club has to say.

Xavi led Barça to their first LaLiga title since 2019 last season and has also brought through a crop of young talent from the academy, including teenagers Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal.

A string of poor results in December and January, though, culminating with a 5-3 loss at home to Villarreal, led to Xavi's announcement that he would step down.

After making his decision public, Barça embarked on a 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions, climbing from fourth to second in LaLiga and reaching their first Champions League quarterfinal since 2020.

However, their season was effectively ended this week as they were eliminated from Europe by PSG before losing Sunday's Clásico 3-2, which essentially ended their slim title hopes.

Barça remain in excess of their LaLiga-imposed annual spending limit and, as previously revealed by ESPN, could be forced to transfer key players such as Ronald Araújo this summer in order to strengthen elsewhere.

Those money problems have also hindered the search for a replacement for Xavi.

ESPN reported last week that former Mexico international Rafael Márquez, now in charge of Barca's B team, has emerged as a possible candidate for the dugout because he fits within the club's financial capabilities.

Márquez would be a low-cost hire, he played for the club and has the B team competing for promotion to the second tier of Spanish football while working with players from the academy.

Meanwhile, Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel have not been ruled out, either, but it would be more complicated to convince them to take the job due to the club's economic limitations.

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy all the time in the Premier League, and the FA Cup doesn't escape either. But how are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.

- How VAR decisions have affected every Prem club in 2023-24
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide

In this week's VAR Review: There is only one place to start, and it's with the three penalty appeals that led to Nottingham Forest releasing a remarkable statement on X that called into question the integrity of match officials. But we'll also look at a contentious handball by Manchester City's Jack Grealish in the FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea.

Everton 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Possible penalty: Young challenge on Reyna

What happened: Nottingham Forest were on the attack in the 24th minute when Giovanni Reyna went down inside the area and appealed for a penalty for a foul by Ashley Young. Referee Anthony Taylor waved away the penalty appeals, and it was checked by the VAR, Stuart Attwell.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: Forest claimed that they had been the subject of "three extremely poor decisions," yet on the first incident, the VAR is never likely to get involved when there's minimal contact and an exaggerated fall.

There are plenty of examples of similar situations with the same outcome, all of which have been supported by the Premier League's Independent Key Match Incidents Panel.

Two examples involved Everton games in recent weeks. Dominic Calvert-Lewin went to ground after light contact from AFC Bournemouth's Tyler Adams, and James Garner also fell from a challenge by Burnley's Jay Rodríguez -- in both cases the VAR ruled that contact wasn't enough to make the attackers go down as they did.

We have seen several soft penalties given on the field, indeed Everton had their own complaints about spot kicks given to Manchester United, but for the VAR it's a higher threshold.

Possible penalty: Handball by Young

What happened: For the second incident, the ball was played to the back post and Callum Hudson-Odoi attempted to help it back across the six-yard area. Young had moved across to pressure the Forest player, with the ball coming off him and going behind for a corner kick. Referee Anthony Taylor ignored claims for a penalty for handball, with the ball coming off Young's arm.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: It won't be the last time we touch on handball this week, yet for all the handball drama this season, the VAR has only intervened to advise a spot kick six times: Cristian Romero vs. Arsenal, William Saliba vs. Chelsea, Michael Keane vs. Liverpool, Kurt Zouma vs. Everton, Reece Burke vs. Sheffield United, Vinicius Souza vs. Luton Town -- and the last two were judged to be incorrect VAR interventions.

Of the four correctly awarded, the player's arm was clearly away from their body and creating a barrier. The Premier League has tried to leave handball decisions with the referee unless the arm is in a position which truly cannot be justified, a far more lenient approach than in the other major European leagues.

The penalty awarded against Everton defender Keane in the Merseyside derby provides the best comparison: an incident that happened in almost the exact same position on the pitch.

Keane's arm was away from his body, almost at a 90 degree angle, and was an obvious VAR intervention.

As with the Reyna penalty appeal, it's the on-field decision that carries the weight, and had referee Taylor given either of these decisions, they wouldn't have been overturned. It explains how Young gets away with the ball hitting his arm, but Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka was penalised against Coventry City in the last moments of the FA Cup semifinal when his arm appeared to be closer to his body: in both cases the on-field decision was upheld.

While Wan-Bissaka had his arm away from his body when the ball was played pass across the box, it was closer to his side when ball hit it. Would the VAR have intervened had referee Rob Jones not pointed to the spot? It's very unlikely.

These two situations perfectly illustrate how VAR's job isn't to create consistency, but to evaluate individual decisions for a "clear and obvious" error. The VAR won't make decisions based on precedent, but on each individual case.

Possible penalty: Young challenge on Hudson-Odoi

What happened: The third incident was when Hudson-Odoi raced onto a through-ball in the 55th minute and was challenged by Young. The Forest midfielder went down under the tackle, but referee Taylor said no penalty, and signalled the shape of the ball to indicate a touch by the defender.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: Of the three situations, this is the one where Forest have a legitimate complaint. The referee's description of an incident is at the centre of the VAR's decision-making, so if Taylor thinks Young got the ball and replays suggest he didn't, surely that qualifies as a clear and obvious error?

It's not quite that simple, as it still requires the VAR to judge that the error is a missed penalty; a referee isn't just sent to the monitor to have another look purely if the description doesn't match. But wrongly thinking a player has won the ball when he's taken the opponent should qualify.

The Premier League is desperate to limit the impact of VAR upon games, which is why it wants such a high bar for interventions. It wants VAR to go back to its original remit of "minimum interference for maximum benefit," but it hinges on good decisions on the field in the first place.

It's clearly still affecting the ability of a VAR to do the job efficiently. Of the 28 errors this season, 23 have been because the VAR hasn't stepped in when they should have. This will be a 24th. It's the apparent reluctance to get involved which is angering clubs more than the original decision.

Young doesn't get the ball, catches the boot of the Forest player and fouls him -- this should have been a penalty.

The high bar is well intentioned, but the philosophy falls down if errors are being waved through because it's hard for those in Stockley Park to know where that high bar is. An eagerness not to re-referee the game means some mistakes are not being corrected, and it's not improved this season.

Forest were unlucky not to get at least one of the three decisions on the field, and when multiple subjective decisions go against one team it's understandable there will be frustration.

Yet this doesn't excuse the tone of Forest's tweet, sent moments after the full-time whistle. This was a premeditated act, with Forest seemingly ready to act if a decision went against them. Every club is within their rights to complain and highlight refereeing issues, but there are acceptable ways to do it.

Forest said they had "warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn't change him," yet no request was made for Attwell to be replaced nor did they lodge a protest against his appointment. Mark Clattenburg, Forest's refereeing consultant, spoke to Howard Webb, the head of officials in the Premier League, yet he did not raise an issue with Attwell in the VAR hub.

There are valid questions about appointing Attwell, who supports relegation rivals Luton Town, and that controversy would have been avoided had a different referee been used. It gave Forest an opening should anything go against them.

In the past referees have been changed when a possible conflict of interest has been raised. Last season James Bell was due to referee the League One game between Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic, but it emerged he is a supporter of Sheffield Wednesday, who were Ipswich's promotion rivals. After a complaint was made, Bell was replaced, yet Forest didn't go down the same route with Attwell.

Forest were already aggrieved about a series of decisions before Sunday; they have been on the receiving end of half the six missed VAR interventions this calendar year: penalties that should have been awarded against Newcastle United and West Ham United, and a red card which should have been shown to Brighton & Hove Albion's Jakub Moder. The VAR wasn't a Luton fan in either of those games.

Yet on the net score for VAR interventions this season, only Fulham (+5) have a more favourable record that Forest (+4) -- though Forest should actually be on +6 (they had a VAR error in their favour which ruled out a late winner for Burnley.)

After the match, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo stoked the flames further, saying: "If we were in another country, for sure that [the subject of conspiracy] will come up" -- effectively further calling into question the integrity of the officials.

Forest are certain to be charged by the Football Association and can expect a heavy punishment.

Man City 1-0 Chelsea

Possible penalty: Handball by Grealish

What happened: Chelsea had a free kick in the 56th minute. Cole Palmer attempted the shot, but it went behind, with referee Michael Oliver signalling a goal kick. However, Chelsea's players protested that the ball had hit the arm of Jack Grealish in the wall, and the decision was checked by the VAR, David Coote.

VAR decision: No penalty.

VAR review: If this incident had happened before the handball law was rewritten a few years ago it probably would have been easier to give as a penalty. Yet today the law is broken down into many sub-clauses and exemptions to guide referees. That means that it's not only incredibly difficult for the general fan to understand how decisions are made, but referees are also having to take so many factors into account that it can only lead to perceived inconsistencies.

One of the exemptions covers a player who brings their arm into the body and makes contact with the ball. The logic is the player is the process of making their body smaller, so should not be penalised. But even that isn't straightforward, as a player can still be judged to deliberately handling in bringing the arm in.

By coincidence, Coote was also the VAR for a similar contentious situation. Martin Ødegaard scooped at the ball in his own penalty area in the Premier League game at Liverpool in December, and Coote ruled that the Arsenal midfielder was bringing his arm in rather than handling on purpose.

That was clearly an error, and the Independent Panel ruled that the VAR should have intervened and awarded a spot kick to Liverpool as Ødegaard's actions couldn't be considered as bringing the arm into the body.

If Ødegaard was an error, then surely Grealish is too? Perhaps not. Grealish was part of the wall and had his arm on a teammate's shoulder. As the wall split when the players jumped, his arm came down to his side. It leaves the question of whether the Manchester City player knew what he was doing or if it was the natural movement of the arm as it came down. You can argue either case but Coote has a valid explanation through the exemption.

It feels like it's more of a penalty than the one awarded to Manchester United at AFC Bournemouth last weekend. Adam Smith had his arm much closer to him, but made a movement towards the ball with his arm coming out to make his body bigger. The Incidents Panel unanimously voted that the penalty was a correct decision.

The Grealish situation is complicated by Oliver not thinking the ball had touched anyone in the wall and awarding the goal kick. Much like the Young tackle on Hudson-Odoi, if the referee hasn't seen the touch on the arm then surely that in itself is grounds for a review and for them to be sent to the monitor? Coote is taking the incident on its merits, applying menu of considerations and possible exemptions within the law, and deciding if the error meets the threshold for a VAR intervention. Is it any wonder we have so much perceived inconsistency with handball?

To add to the frustration of Chelsea fans, Coote cannot tell a referee to correct their restart decision and give a corner -- even though there is a VAR review for the ball touching a Manchester City player.

Coventry 3-3 (pens 3-4) Man United

Possible offside: Wright on Torp goal

What happened: Coventry City thought they had scored an incredible 121st-minute winner against Manchester United, with the Sky Blues fans at Wembley sent into delirium. However, it became clear upon the first replay that Haji Wright may be offside before he set up Victor Torp for the goal.

VAR decision: Goal disallowed.

VAR review: It's the worst of VAR, the kind of situation which makes it so difficult for fans to get on board -- stripping away a fairy-tale moment which would have lived on in the annals of FA Cup history forever. To all intents and purposes it never even happened.

It looked like Wright would be offside by a clear margin when the ball was played forward, yet it was much closer. In fact it was millimetres from the tolerance level, or benefit of the doubt, when the attacking and defensive lines are touching.

The gap between the lines is so small it's barely noticeable; a single green line would have been displayed if they were touching.

Offside has to start somewhere with technology, and whatever you do there will always be marginal calls.

The graphic was called into question due to the position of the line to defender's boot, though it's slightly misleading as the foot was in the air meaning there's also a vertical line down to the ground, making the blue line appear thicker..

Semi-automated offside technology (SAOT), which will be introduced early into next season, will help with the visualisation of decisions, creating a computer-generated graphic which swings in line with the players and identifies exactly which part of the attacker is offside.

It won't stop these marginal decisions, and in fact is likely to increase them as the tolerance level -- which exists to account for inconsistencies in identifying the kick-point and plot points on the players -- is removed.

Italy's Serie A has seen less general controversy over offside decisions since it introduced SAOT in January 2023, with the frustration reserved for the times the graphic displays a very marginal offside.

Liverpool's third goal at Fulham on Sunday provides the perfect example. Diogo Jota broke through the offside trap to score, with the assistant keeping their flag down. The technology produced a single green line, so Jota needed the tolerance level for goal to stand. Next season with SAOT this goal would most likely be disallowed.

Wolves 0-2 Arsenal

Possible red card: Kilman challenge on Havertz

What happened: Max Kilman attempted to challenge Kai Havertz in the 35th minute, but the Arsenal forward got to the ball first. Kilman caught Havertz, with referee Paul Tierney allowing Arsenal to continue with the ball. The Wolverhampton Wanderers captain was booked when play stopped. The VAR, John Brooks, checked for a possible red card.

VAR decision: No red card.

VAR review: There's been many similar situations, with a tackle being slightly mistimed and contact on the opponent being just above the boot.

It's a strong challenge by Kilman, but based on the other occasions when the VAR hasn't intervened, a yellow card is an acceptable on-field decision.

A good comparison is the yellow card shown to Manchester United defender Harry Maguire against Fulham, as he stepped into the challenge with contact around the top of the boot.

Luton Town 1-5 Brentford

Possible offside: Wissa when scoring

What happened: Brentford doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Yoane Wissa scored from close range, but was there a case for offside?

VAR decision: Goal stands.

VAR review: From the main broadcast camera it looked as though Wissa might have been marginally in front of the last defender, but the offside lines proved that he was just being played onside by Reece Burke.

Some parts of this article include information provided by the Premier League and PGMOL.

Inter Milan's dominant domestic season could be crowned on Monday as Simone Inzaghi's team take on bitter rivals AC Milan knowing a win would clinch their 20th Serie A title.

Inter are 14 points clear of second-placed Milan with six league games left to play.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

The game between the local clubs, known as the Derby della Madonnina, will be particularly hard-fought given that they are level on 19 titles apiece as it stands.

"We've had a magnificent ride, tomorrow could be a very important day for all of us but we're not experiencing it as an obsession," Inzaghi told a news conference on Sunday.

"We had a dominant season; now the climb is about to end but we know what we have done."

Inter are technically the away side for the game, though the teams share the San Siro as their home ground. For Monday's game, Milan fans will have a much larger allocation as they look to help their team delay Inter's title party.

Inter have enjoyed the better of the clash in recent times. In the first game between the teams in October, Inter ran out 5-1 winners, and they defeated Milan over two legs in the Champions League semifinals last season.

"The derby is always the derby, so there are excellent emotions," Inzaghi said.

"The stakes are very high but we know well that we have won the last five derbies and they have given us great joy, they have allowed us to reach the Champions League final, but we know that tomorrow that counts for nothing.

"Victories and trophies in football count a lot. But I am happy with what we have managed to create, as a synergy, together with the club, the team, the fans."

Historically, Inter have won 90 of the official derbies, while Milan have won 79.

Milan coach Stefano Pioli told his players to see the derby as an opportunity.

"We can use all the terms we want: pride, responsibility and belonging. For the league table, for Thursday's elimination, for Inter's Scudetto, it's a chance for redemption, for pride," Pioli said in his Sunday news conference.

"We will need the best Milan possible. There are those who think that we have never changed in the derbies, but tomorrow we have to do everything we can so that they don't win.

"We will need to play an exceptional game, we come off the back of five consecutive defeats against them and they have always given us problems."

Inter's status as champions-elect in Serie A has been established for several weeks now, with Inzaghi's team having scored the most goals in Serie A while also boasting the meanest defence.

Lautaro Martínez's impressive return powered the Nerazzurri's attack, scoring 23 goals to be the front-runner for the Capocannoniere, with Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu both reaching double figures.

The wing-back system employed by Inzaghi, with Benjamin Pavard, Alessandro Bastoni and Stefan de Vrij's stability allowing Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries to push forward, has proved more than effective in nullifying opponents.

Should Inter be held by or lose to Milan, the next chance for them to clinch the league title would be against Torino on Sunday or Sassuolo on May 5.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.