Maurizio Sarri complained bitterly about the Harry Kane goal that decided the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Wembley last night in Tottenham’s favour, suggesting that English referees are unable to use the VAR system.

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Kane was upended by the Chelsea goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, as he ran through in what was a clear foul inside the area, but there was controversy when the assistant referee raised his flag – for offside against Kane. After VAR review, Kane was deemed to have been onside, the penalty was duly awarded and the Tottenham striker scored. His team would hold on to win 1-0.

But Sarri argued the assistant referee had stopped when he flagged and, in the process, unnerved his defenders, who presumed Kane was offside. The Chelsea manager did not dwell on the old adage about playing to the whistle. In a further twist, Sarri suggested the technology had got it wrong. Having watched the replays on Chelsea’s feed, he insisted Kane was offside.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Maurizio Sarri (right) complains to the fourth official during Chelsea’s defeat. Photograph: TGSPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

“Our camera was in line with Harry Kane and he was offside with the head and the knee,” Sarri said. “I saw only our video from our camera. Maybe the VAR camera was in a different position. But from our position, he was clearly offside.

“It was also really important that the linesman stopped running with play – he had a big impact on our defenders. I don’t think English referees are able to use the VAR system. If you are not sure with the system, you have to follow the ball and at the end of the action decide. But he stopped and didn’t follow the ball – for our defenders it was clearly offside. I don’t know about the goalkeeper but sure, the defenders.

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“In Italy, there is VAR and in the first season, it was a disaster. The referees did not know how to use the system. I think at the moment the referees [here] are not ready to use the system in the right way. It’s also strange for everybody that in the Premier League, there isn’t VAR, and in the Carabao, there is.”

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The Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, said Kane’s winner had left a sour taste. “To get the benefit is nice but I am unhappy to win the game like this,” he said. “I am pro technology because you cannot stop evolution but we are waiting so long [for the decision] – it is not clear what are the rules.

“I don’t like VAR and after watching it at the World Cup and in another league like La Liga, I see nobody is happy from day one that they started to use it. It is a system that sometimes kills the emotions. I didn’t celebrate tonight because we were waiting five minutes.”

Kane said: “I played to the whistle and nicked it round the keeper. It was a clear penalty. VAR is there for a reason and they got it right. I’m used to it after the World Cup, it’s a big part of football going forwards. From our point of view it doesn’t change much [waiting to hear if it was a penalty].”