Since the start of last season several situations with fouls in the build up to goals have been reviewed: Here’s a handy guide for how to abide by the rules:
DON’T win the ball cleanly as evident by Martin Ødegaard’s wrongfully disallowed goal against Man United.
DO hold the keeper with both arms so he can’t attempt a save - which Aston Villa did the following week - as a corner sailed straight into Ramsdale’s goal.
DON’T hold hands with the keeper. Ben White should have taken notes from the Villa-game, because he only held the hand of Danny Ward who did nothing to yank it out of the grip. Instead he punched it away with his other hand, but as Trossard beat his man on the edge of the box and blasted it top corner, it was called back for a foul.
DO foul a player not playing the ball. A Brighton-player studded Kiwior in the achilles and suddenly found himself in acres as space from his defender foolishly writhing in pain on the floor. But as it was just a random coming together of studs and leg, no foul.
DO foul a player playing the ball. As the independent panel found, “Gabriel had made an action to play the ball” therefore it was not a foul.
BONUS DON’T get hit on the arm in a natural jumping position from a scuffed header from half a yard away going miles off target, like idiotic Saliba against Chelsea. DO assist a goal with your arm, as long as the ball comes in from 20 yards and your arm is in a natural shoving position like the genius Joelinton against Arsenal.
In other words. You are allowed to foul a player off the ball, on the ball and hold the keeper with both arms. You are not allowed to not foul a player or hold hands with the keeper. You can’t use your arms to play the ball, unless you make sure the ball is fired in from far enough away, they are in an unnatual position, and the incident has material impact on the play - then it’s fine.
If you don’t see the consistency in the above, maybe you see the consistency in which team all 7 calls went against.
Panel consisting of Martin Atkinson and John Moss
The funny thing is that with the Joelinton push explanation, the tackle from Havertz isn’t even a free kick because Longstaff played the ball.
If you really believe that wasn’t a foul on Gabriel you’re smoking rocks.
There is one consistent thing in all of the above decisions. Please guess away
Rules for thee (Arsenal) not for me (other 19 teams)
No, it’s not the other 19 teams, it’s the Saudi teams. Brighton, Wolvers and Liverpool are getting shafted like insane, because like us, they make good business without Saudi money. The rest of the teams get whatever decisions will benefit the Saudi teams the most in their game (Tottenham over Pool to make sure City doesn’t have serious competition, then Chelsea over Tottenham to make sure City catches up).
Don’t forget to kick saka up the arse, just pretend he’s a ball
I had totally forgotten about the Kiwior incident. IIRC we had a similar situation occur when we played United. Maguire stood on the back of De Gea’s ankle, De Gea went down and ESR scores. That went to VAR to check if an Arsenal player had caused the infringement or not. That goal would have 100% (rightly) been disallowed if it had been an Arsenal player. Yet the same incident occurs and Kiwior was just meant to get on with it I suppose?!
Funny how Neville and Carrager are suddenly allowed to criticise VAR after the European games, but Arsenal were not allowed at the weekend.
Neville is of course a twat, but Carrager did have some glimpses before. Sorry I never gave a penny to Sky, because now I can’t cancel them…
I stopped taking that referee review of the Newcastle game seriously when it said that the elbow on Jorginho should’ve been a red but two refs still thought there wasn’t enough in it
And not even a mention of Guimaraes punting the ball at Saka(?) for no reason and scratching Rice’s neck when he confronted him over itAlso the two footed lunge from Guimaraes just before he clouted Jorgi.
and the time later when Guimaraes just goes and push Jorginho in the back and then told him to get up.
I am convinced Bruno G was working with betting folks to get sent off. But the ref was just not cooperating. The man had like 3 red card worthy moments in the game. Some were just brain dead