Football
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Mauricio Pochettino: VAR a 'nightmare' after Son Heung-Min goal disallowed

Mauricio Pochettino branded the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system a "nightmare" after Tottenham Hotspur cruised into the FA Cup semifinals with a 3-0 win at Swansea City.

Two goals from Christian Eriksen and one from Erik Lamela secured a spot in the last four for Tottenham, but the victory was not without controversy as Son Heung-Min's 23rd-minute goal was ruled out for offside.

The incident was reviewed at length by VAR and, with the lines on the television proving inconclusive as to whether Son was offside, the original decision stood.

"It's a nightmare," Pochettino said. "I feel so sorry for the people trying to use that system. I think I prefer it when the ref and assistant make mistakes than to wait three or four minutes for things.

"But we now need to see the reality of how it is going to affect the staff on the touchline and the officials. It is so complex, but the worst thing for me is the effect for the fan. It is going to be a massive problem for the future. We will see what happens at the World Cup."

Spurs had also seen VAR dominate proceedings in the fifth-round replay against Rochdale, with Pochettino equally critical of several stoppages in the first half of their 6-1 win.

Without the injured Harry Kane, Pochettino made seven changes from the side that had won at Bournemouth the previous weekend.

Dele Alli, Mousa Dembele and Hugo Lloris were all left on the bench, but there was no way back for Swansea in their first FA Cup quarterfinal in 54 years after Eriksen's 11th-minute opener.

Lamela added a second in injury time at the end of the first half before Eriksen scored again just after the hour mark.

"[Eriksen] is fantastic, so important for us," Pochettino said. "Every season he takes one step up. He is so consistent."

The victory raised Tottenham's hopes of a first trophy since they won the League Cup in 2008.

"[A trophy] is an option now," Pochettino said. "At the same time, just when you feel close to winning something, then you can be far away. We are going to try to win the semifinal and get to the final."

Swansea had won seven consecutive games at the Liberty Stadium since losing to Tottenham in the league at the start of January, but the absence of the Ayew brothers -- Jordan was suspended and Andre was cup-tied -- blunted their attack, while their midfield and defence could not cope with Tottenham's subtle movement.

"I am not disappointed," said manager Carlos Carvalhal, who had always insisted Swansea's battle to stay in the Premier League was their priority. "The FA Cup has been a fantastic run for us -- our best since 1964 -- and this has not created any harm or damage for the future.

"We lost to a quality team who played well and scored fantastic goals. I said before [that] to achieve something, we must be at our best and they must be not so good. We know there is a gap and that they are better."

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