Experts agree Pulisic’s 3-1 goal against Sassuolo should have stood: “Not enough”

Christian Pulisic thought he had made it 3-1 for AC Milan in their game against Sassuolo, but the referee ruled it out for a foul. Incorrectly so, according to two refereeing experts. 

Milan dropped two important points against Sassuolo in the lunchtime game earlier today, conceding the equaliser rather late in the second half. However, the game could have taken a very different turn as Pulisic thought he had made it 3-1.

In the 57th minute of the game, Strahinja Pavlovic got on the end of a cross inside the box and forced the Sassuolo goalkeeper to a very good save. However, Pulisic made the most of the rebound, steering the ball into the back of the net.

Unfortunately, the referee blew his whistle for a supposed foul by Ruben Loftus-Cheek just before Pavlovic headed it. No VAR check was made, as the play was restarted quickly, and Milan fans were left perplexed as the replays showed no obvious errors.

Experts in agreement

As highlighted by Denis of Errori Arbitrali, it’s a goal that never should be been disallowed to begin with…

“Both on the initial cross and on Pavlovic’s header, they are onside, and the contact between Loftus-Cheek-Candé is indeed no more than a contact.

“There are indeed two hands on the back, but in the dynamics, it’s noticeable that there is no real push, and the Neroverdi player then falls by himself. It’s not enough to disallow the goal because of that contact,” he wrote.

Luca Marelli, who works as the refereeing expert for DAZN, agreed that Milan should have had their 3-1 goal (via MilanNews)…

“It leaves a lot of doubts. The goal was disallowed for a push by Loftus-Cheek on Candé. The referee allows the play to be completed and then blows the whistle. It was a field play, so VAR cannot intervene.

“There was contact, Loftus puts his hands on the Sassuolo player, but I don’t see any push. Considering that Crezzini called very little, 24 fouls, this is way below the threshold. He simply put his hands on his back. In my opinion, this goal shouldn’t have been disallowed,” he stated.