Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has offered his opinion on Gabriel Martinelli’s disallowed goal in Arsenal’s recent 1-0 victory over Everton. The controversial decision, made by VAR, generated plenty of discussion among fans and pundits.
Martinelli thought he had opened the scoring for Arsenal when he found the back of the net, only for VAR to rule the goal out due to Eddie Nketiah being offside during the build-up. The decision left many Arsenal fans frustrated, as they felt that Nketiah’s offside position did not impact the play.
However, Gallagher agrees with the VAR decision, stating that Nketiah’s offside position did indeed affect the play. He points out that Nketiah’s presence in an offside position created uncertainty in the Everton defense and forced them to react differently. In Gallagher’s opinion, this altered the trajectory of the shot, ultimately leading to the goal being disallowed.
Gallagher goes on to explain that the deflection off Everton’s Beto, which some argue should have made the goal valid, is irrelevant in this situation. He emphasizes that Nketiah did not intentionally shoot the ball in Beto’s direction, and therefore, the deflection should not be considered when assessing the offside.
To support his argument, Gallagher refers to a similar incident involving James Milner from last season. Milner had a goal disallowed in a match against Aston Villa due to an offside teammate affecting the play. Gallagher believes that consistency is crucial when applying the offside rule and that VAR made the right call in Martinelli’s case.
This controversy sparks a wider debate about the offside rule and the interpretation of VAR decisions. Some argue that these marginal offside calls are ruining the game, as they deny teams from celebrating legitimate goals. Nonetheless, there are others who commend VAR’s role in ensuring fairness and reducing human error.
As the debate continues, the decision to disallow Martinelli’s goal will undoubtedly be a talking point for both Arsenal and Everton fans. While opinions may differ, Gallagher’s insight provides valuable context and sheds light on the reasoning behind the VAR ruling.
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