Netherlands 3-1 England: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis

#3 VAR again involved, this time with better results

Jesse Lingard wasn't celebrating for long before finding out his goal was correctly ruled out for offside

Just like Wednesday's semi-final was not without a shortage of talking points, this one didn't disappoint either. However, VAR was much more conclusive on this occasion and once again highlighted the importance of having it within the sport - regardless of suggestions the atmosphere and nature of football is ruined by tense waiting for match officials to do their checks.

If VAR was not in operation, England probably would have won this fixture in normal time. Whether they deserved to is another question entirely, again the answer there is probably not but the decisions were correctly clarified after video review so how can you argue against that?

No-one wants controversy dominating the headlines and had Lingard's goal stood, the game would have come into serious question. It's 2019 and whether you like it or not, technology is needed at times to determine the verdict when incidents occur which could go either way.

In a game of this magnitude, with a reported €10m (£8.8m) prize money for the Nations League winner, we could have seen completely different finalists had VAR not done its job over the past two evenings.

Lingard was standing marginally offside, just as Ben Chilwell had his hands by his side and his back turned when Dumfries' cross hit his body as it trickled back across goal. On both occasions, the correct decision was confirmed after a thorough review: but could you imagine the chaos had that not been the case? Thankfully, football won in this instance. Those who are complaining need to get with the times, as they are changing for the better.