Rio Ferdinand and Andy Keys are both unhappy with Granit Xhaka’s crucial goal in Arsenal’s win over Manchester United, but Richard Keys has revealed that the referees disagree.
The Gunners were ahead for almost the entire 90 minutes of today’s fixture, leading from under three minutes of play all the way through to the final whistle, but amidst their ferocious efforts to level the game in the second-half, they conceded at the hands of Xhaka to kill off the game.
Along with United boss Ralf Rangnick, pundits have also moved to claim that the goal should not have stood with Eddie Nketiah stood in goalkeeper David De Gea’s eyeline whilst being in an offside position, but Keys has claimed that the officials have responded, insisting that he was too far from the Spanish shot-stopper to have made enough of a difference.
Keys told Gray live on BeinSport (via the Express): “No he wasn’t. What we’ve been told is they checked the distance between Nketiah and the goalkeeper and decided it was too great for him to be interfering.”
I can’t deny that I’ve seen some angles and Nketiah looks very-much in the eyeline of the goalkeeper, but I certainly am not going to be complaining about our important goal.
Does anyone else agree that the goal should maybe not have stood?
Patrick
I don’t think it should have stood but what would a PL game be without at least one referreing cock-up? And besides we’ve certainly had our share of calls go against us – most recently Martinelli’s offside against Southampton — so it’s not one to lose sleep over.
When they checked it they saw that a United player was also in front of Nketia and Nketia was too far in terms of interference. De gea basically had to look behind a United player to see the ball.
Wasn’t interfering with play in my opinion great goal
If it had been for Man Utd we would have been up in arms about it.
Agreed….
Nketiah doesn’t move doesn’t react to the shot
This referring and var ish is gonna go round to all teams…. We have had our own share of it, now it is United’s turn.
Eddie did not interfere with the ball, he was not so close to the keeper. Legitimate goal!!! Rio is bitter, he needs some calm pills.
Lindelof blocked de gea.
Not Eddie.
Ferdinand fuming on BT sport.
The legend Keown next to him chuckling
No way in Euro Disney:)
In Midweek a Burnley player stood offaide within 3 ft of the Southampton keeper a d nobody said a word
If it’s an offside then we should go back to the handball just before in the build up to the goal…..Arsenal should have had Another penalty then!!!
You never know with the mo and var. Arsenal have been hard done by var against top teams and others.
Arsenal have beaten both Chelsea and MU.
However against Spurs and the hammers anything can happen
The win against CR team is very satisfying
Personally, i do believe they have a point
I HATE VAR myself, its taken most of the enjoyment out of the game.
But if i was refereeing the game or on VAR i would have disallowed the goal.
As a keeper myself, this is how i see it
De’Gea looks around Eddie to start, then as he does so Lindelof then moves into his line of sight which is where VAR deemed it was Lindelof and not Eddie who was obstructing LoS.
But what they havent taken into account is, as a keeper, he had to look round Eddie to start with so he could get a view of what was happening.
They can feel hard done by for sure, i would be if it was the other way around.
The other incident Rio refers to is when cedric handled in the box while going to ground.
John Moss hid behind the law and didnt give his own view, which probably would have been, he knows what hes doing there its a penalty, but the law states if player is going to down and it hits him there it cannot be a penalty.
I believe Rio was right in his assessment of that incident but again the law states it cannot be a penalty, i do believe Cedric knew what he was doing and only fell flat on his face after the ball had hit him and what looked to me in real time as a push away.
The trouble for me with VAR is the Rule book
The game hasnt really had its rulebook updated for a very long time and is based on humans not technology.
If you’re going to put something in like VAR it has to be all in and not just use it here and there, there are plenty of fouls, corners throw ins etc that have been missed, given the wrong way in games that could have impacted results.
The best solution for me is just get rid of it altogether and go back to how it was before, where we left the the decision upto the on field officials on the day.
We have been robbed by VAR this season on many occasions so its about time we got a little luck
Ther’s was a handball before…. It would have been the second goal all over again!!!If its offside then Arsenal would have had a penalty then …
Nobody is saying anything about the foul on an Arsenal player leading up to the United goal.
Spot on…..A clear handball…..Liké the second goal…..
There were two players in line with the goal keeper a Man u player and Eddie, again Eddie wasnt interfering with ball and being a reasonable distance away.
But I think that’s a decision that could have gone any way, though it would be disallowing a very beautiful goal for majority of us, the neutral and gooners.
If VAR didn’t allow the goal, they would have to give a penalty for a hand ball that took place seconds before
Agree…..Rangnick forgot about the second goal it seems….
I can’t believe we are having this conversation!! That crackhead’s former sides were beaten hands down yesterday,they can only blame themselves for not taking their chances which could’ve changed the game entirely.stay bitter for all i care cos that’s his own cup of bitterleaf exctracts.
It would have been a great injustice to football if that sweet goal has been disallowed.
A fourth yards screamer and somebody is complaining of offside.?
I don’t get it!
The actual VAR scandal in this game was not this Xhaka goal but thee diabolical and certain red card not given to Fernandez for the deliberate foul on our player about “10 minutes” after the ball had gone. It was not given and was a disgrace . ALL TV pundits called it as a red!
But the unholy concept VAR itself is a disgrace and ought never to have been implemented.
I’d bin the whole rotten nonsense of it right now, if I had the power.
Lindelof was in front of De Gea and Nketiah
Anyway it is all irrelevant because the on pitch ref and VAR saw nothing wrong. We have been on the wrong end of some decisions this year so things even themselves out over a season We got three points they got none that is the most important part