New footage confirms Williams touched the ball with his left arm and right forearm before scoring, but the angle was not available to VAR official Bankes during the match. Despite Bankes being 100% confident in his decision to disallow the goal, the lack of broadcast access to this camera means Forest fans' anger over the VAR intervention is unlikely to subside. Former midfielder Danny Murphy acknowledged the handball argument but questioned whether it was 'clear and obvious', stating it was not.

Pro Ref, the rebranded refereeing body formerly known as PGMO, supports Bankes' decision and expressed frustration over Williams' earlier denial of contact. Williams insisted he did not handball the ball, claiming he headed it down between his arms. The new evidence also shows the ball did not touch his head, though the split-second nature of the incident may have prevented his awareness.

The incident highlights a core issue with VAR: even factual interventions like handball before a goal involve subjective judgment, as seen in the Benjamin Sesko case where Stuart Attwell allowed a goal despite Howard Webb later believing it likely touched the hand. Webb has suggested changing the handball law to remove forensic examination of every goal, arguing it forces VARs into overly technical assessments.