Lpool.....one one at Arsenal.
TBF Arsenal played really good fluent football.
Only gripe is we had a genuine good goal disallowed.
The disallowed goal did prompt a good deal of discussion! It appeared to me that the expert pundits and the expert studio ref' were all at sea with the interpretation of the rules applicable in this case. I was utterly confused by it all.
This prompted a read of the somewhat tortuous FA rules of the game re offside specifically these bits:
Offside position
It is not an offence to be in an offside position.
Offside offence
A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
- interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
- interfering with an opponent by:
- preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or
- challenging an opponent for the ball or
- clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or
- making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball
*The first point of contact of the 'play' or 'touch' of the ball should be used
or
- gaining an advantage by playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when it has:
- rebounded or been deflected off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent
- been deliberately saved by any opponent
- A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save by any opponent) is not considered to have gained an advantage.
***
From the bolded sections I concluded that the goal was right to be disallowed.
Mane was clearly offside when his team mate took the first shot but he was not in a situation that was an offence under the rules. However, when the ball came to him off the post this put him into an offside position which
is deemed an offence under the rules and hence the goal could not stand.