Hawkeye technology malfunctioned and failed to spot an obvious goal in the English Premier League's first game back after coronavirus

• Hawkeye technology malfunctioned and failed to spot an obvious goal in the English Premier League's first game back after coronavirus lockdown.
• Aston Villa was hosting Sheffield United on Wednesday night when Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland appeared to carry the ball behind his line in the 42nd minute.
• The goal was not given, with referee Michael Oliver indicating that Hawkeye technology had not signaled to his watch that the ball had crossed the line.
• Sky Sports reported that Oliver's watch did in fact indicate a goal, but only once he had returned to the dressing room for halftime.
• Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company behind the technology, apologized and blamed the mistake on the fact the ball was obscured by the goalkeeper.
• "Really?" Sheffield United simply tweeted after the incident.

Hawkeye technology malfunctioned and failed to spot an obvious goal in the English Premier League's first game back after coronavirus lockdown.

Aston Villa was hosting Sheffield United at Villa Park on Wednesday night, when in the 42nd minute Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland appeared to carry the ball behind his own line after collecting a cross from United's Oliver Norwood.

Sheffield United players appealed as Nyland fell into the side-netting of his left goalpost, however their appeals were waved away by referee Michael Oliver, who indicated that Hawkeye technology had not signaled to his watch that the ball had crossed the line.

When the Hawkeye system works correctly, it buzzes a watch worn by the referee every time the ball crosses the goal line.

Broadcaster Sky Sports reported that Oliver's watch did in fact indicate a goal, but only once he had returned to the dressing room for halftime.

Sky Sports also reported that the technology had been "fixed" for the second half, suggesting a fault during the first 45 minutes.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Hawk-Eye Innovations — which makes the technology — apologized for the mistake, but blamed it on the ball being "occluded" by Aston Villa's goalkeeper.

—Hawk-Eye Innovations (@Hawkeye_view) June 17, 2020

Shortly after the incident, Sheffield United tweeted "Really?" It also shared a video of the goal captioned with a blank faced emoji.

—Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) June 17, 2020

Southampton striker Charlie Austin also questioned on social media why the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not become involved, and suggested the referee should come out after the match and explain the mistake.

"So who is going to come out and explain this one at the end of the game[?]" he said on Twitter.

"Surely it's about time referees come out and do interviews after games? Yes we all make mistakes but why are they protected against doing them[?]"

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