The Premier League’s Match Centre has clarified why Manchester City’s stoppage-time goal against Wolves was allowed to stand after initially being disallowed for offside. The dramatic moment occurred when John Stones scored a header in the 95th minute, giving City a 2-1 lead.
The City fans erupted in celebration, but those celebrations were briefly paused when the goal was ruled out, as Bernardo Silva was deemed to be offside and obstructing Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa’s view.
However, following a review of the incident, the on-field referee, Chris Kavanagh, was instructed by the VAR to review the footage.
After being sent to the monitor to reassess the situation, Kavanagh reversed his initial decision, ruling that Silva’s positioning did not interfere with the goalkeeper’s ability to make a save. Consequently, the goal was reinstated, securing City’s win.
Shortly after the match, the Premier League Match Centre’s official X (formerly Twitter) account provided an explanation for the decision. The statement clarified that the initial disallowance was due to Silva being considered in an offside position and obstructing Sa’s line of sight.
However, after reviewing the footage, the VAR determined that Silva was not in the goalkeeper’s line of vision and did not impact his ability to play the ball. Based on this, Kavanagh overturned the decision, and the goal was awarded.
The Football Association’s official rules were referenced to support the decision. According to the rules, a player is penalized for offside if they are either standing in an offside position or moving from one, interfering with an opponent’s ability to challenge for the ball or obstructing the opponent’s movement toward the ball.
If a player’s offside position impedes an opponent’s progress, the offence should be penalized under Law 12, which covers fouls and misconduct.
In situations where an offside player is moving toward the ball with the intention of playing it and is fouled before reaching it, the foul is penalized as it occurred before the offside offence.
Additionally, if a player already in an offside position is attempting to play the ball or challenge an opponent, and an offence is committed against them, the offside should be penalized before any foul is considered.
In the case of the Wolves match, the officials determined that Silva’s positioning did not meet the criteria for offside interference, leading to the goal being allowed to stand. This ruling was crucial in securing Manchester City’s victory.
https://twitter.com/PLMatchCentre/status/1848017633133613354
