Manchester United beat the noisy neighbors 2-1 after a comeback from behind, thanks to Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford’s goals, but the equalizer from Fernandes prior to the late drama has undoubtedly become a debatable topic.
Just me and a Mancunian celebrating winning in the derby šš“ pic.twitter.com/rkEj8q18Zd
— Bruno Fernandes (@B_Fernandes8) January 14, 2023
Manchester United was behind after the Man City substitute Jack Grealish scored on the hour mark of the game. When the game reached the final quarter, Casemiro saw Rashford free in the 78th minute and released him with a needle pass while the winger was in an offside position and shielded the ball until Fernandes slotted it home past Ederson.
After initially being called offside, VAR changed the on-field decision, and Man City players seen protested wholeheartedly but not succeeded to any effect. Rashford was certainly offside and they believed, the English forward interveined the play by guarding the ball while it left Akanji and Ederson out of the game with the loss of concentration toward the Manchester United number 10.
Brunoššā¤ļøā¤ļø how can you hate him https://t.co/NoaR4S5i7v
— Viranš²š¾ (@MadnessFc4) January 14, 2023
Petr Cech, a Chelsea legend and one of the greatest goalkeepers the Premier League has ever witnessed is stunned by the decision made by officials he questioned their knowledge about the game while felt the rules are bullshit if they are not used properly.
He fumed: “The first United goal just proved the people who make the rules donāt understand the game”.
The first United goal just proved the people who make the rules donāt understand the game.
— Petr Cech (@PetrCech) January 14, 2023
According to FIFA, a player is actively interfering with play if they touch the ball after it has been passed to them by a teammate.
At the same though, a player can also influence play without touching the ball, and so should be given offside if the referee feels that their offside position has interfered with an opponent ā for example by preventing the opponent from playing the ball or by obstructing a goalkeeperās line of vision.
The IFAB Laws of the Game handbook also explains:
ā¢ a player moving from, or standing in, an offside position is in the way of an opponent and interferes with the movement of the opponent toward the ball this is an offside offense if it impacts the ability of the opponent to play or challenge for the ball; if the player moves into the way of an opponent and impedes the opponent’s progress (e.g blocks the opponent) the offense should be penalized under Law 12.
āA player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a team-mate is only penalized on becoming involved in active play by:
ā¢ interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
ā¢ interfering with an opponent by:
ā¢ preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponentās line of vision or
ā¢ challenging an opponent for the ball or
ā¢ clearly attempting to play a ball that is close when this action impacts an opponent or
ā¢ making an obvious action that clearly impacts the ability of an opponent to play the ball.
Officiating in the English league is the worst in Europe. The referees are allowed to do whatever they want pic.twitter.com/2qvsBBcU4K
— JEFF TYMER š¬šš“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ (@Jeff_Tymer_) January 14, 2023
ā¢ gaining an advantage by playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when it has:
ā¢ rebounded or been deflected off the goalpost, crossbar, or an opponent
ā¢ been deliberately saved by any opponentā
Pep Guardiola was raging after the decision went out of their favor and later refused to comment on anything but clearly, the frustrations and anger were on his face due to the mixture of a derby loss and shocking decisions.
Pep Guardiola on Man United's first goal š pic.twitter.com/0rufrp4uPj
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) January 14, 2023
“Rashford is offside, Bruno no. [Whether] Rashford intervenes or not he distracts our keeper and Centre-backs!ā- the Spanish maestro said after the match.
Manchester City took a thumbless at their quest for the Premier League trophy after the loss while the Red Devils are certainly back as a title contender. Premier League supremacy! Bring it on.
