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Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has weighed in on the decision to allow Eberechi Eze’s first goal to stand in Tottenham’s 4-1 loss to Arsenal.
The Lilywhites were completely dominated by their North London rivals at the Emirates, with Thomas Frank being handed a serious wake-up call.
The idea that his defensive approach made Tottenham a formidable side away from home was blown out of the water over the 90 minutes, with Spurs looking completely toothless against their fierce rivals.
However, there was one controversial call in the game that went against Frank’s side, and the decision has left a former official flabbergasted.
Eberechi Eze’s goal against Tottenham should have been ruled out
The controversy was about Eberechi Eze’s first and Arsenal’s second of the night on 41 minutes.
The England international found space inside the Tottenham box and slammed the ball into the back of the net, but replays showed that two Arsenal players, who were in offside positions, were in Guglielmo Vicario’s eyeline.
VAR did not intervene to rule the goal offside after the on-field officials gave the goal, and Gallagher admitted that he finds it hard to understand the call.
Gallagher told Sky Sports: “This is what I don’t understand. I think both of those players are in the goalkeeper’s eyeline. I’m told because they peel away from that, they’re not impacting.”
Former Coventry striker Jay Bothroyd added about the decision: “That’s probably the worst decision. They are directly in the keeper’s eyeline. When I saw that, straight away I said that would be offside.
“That is the most obvious one. He’s looking straight down the ball and there are two players in his eyeline. That’s why I don’t understand it.”
The laws regarding players interfering with play need to be simplified
The issue of whether a player is in the goalkeeper’s eyeline is open to interpretation, with different officials seeing specific incidents differently.
The authorities may need to look into simplifying the law for the sake of consistency.
For example, changing the law to say the goal will be ruled out if any player who is in an offside position and ahead of the shot is between the width of the posts when the shot is taken, would make it black and white.
While it will initially lead to a few unnecessary offsides, it will eventually force strikers to avoid being in an offside position within the width of the post when their teammate is about to take a shot.
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