Off Side or not Off side

  So, Bruno Fernandes scored against man city yesterday. Would the goal have been allowed in the EFL, my answer is NO!

  This proves to me, as if we didn't already know, the rules are different in the premiership than the EFL.

   Without VAR the goal would not have been given and quite correctly.

    

I saw a suggestion that Man United had planned this - for a player to go well offside to distract the defenders,  but then just follow the ball without touching it allowing a player following up to score.

Rashford was clearly interfering with play in any sensible view so most officials would have disallowed it.

Rashford was clearly interfering with play even though he didn’t touch the ball. Goal should not have stood.

They discussed this on MOTD last night, pouring over the unnecessarily complex and increasingly recondite rules. On the official basis of those, I’m still none the wiser.

My understanding has always been that if a player is “interfering”, then he’s offside. That could be by blocking the ‘keeper’s view or impeding a defender’s ability to to their job.

In this instance, Edison doesn’t know and certainly can’t assume can’t assume that Rashford’s offside, and yet he gets within a yard of striking the ball before Fernandes takes over, which surely impacts how the goalkeeper would have approached the finish. He’s got to consider two possible shots from two different players. In that sense, Rashford’s absolutely interfering.

For that goal to stand, Rashford has to make clear that he has given up going for the ball almost as soon as he makes his run. He’s offside. I have no idea why the authorities insist on making their own lives so difficult.

Quoted from Ruston AT

  So, Bruno Fernandes scored against man city yesterday. Would the goal have been allowed in the EFL, my answer is NO!

  This proves to me, as if we didn't already know, the rules are different in the premiership than the EFL.

   Without VAR the goal would not have been given and quite correctly.

    

I sometimes think VAR is there to cover referees @rses. The other thing about it is why do they need a committee of refs to look at the footage? This just takes high level refs out of the grounds and creates space for muppets to be promoted from non league when they’re not ready, as we see most weeks at BP.

He is definitely interfering with play if he’s guarding the ball from the defenders behind him so he is offside. Howard Webb back in the fold so Man Utd will start to get these decisions again, probably.

Should morally been disallowed, but not within the current rules.

However it’s nice to see Emirates City of Manchester knocked off their moneybags perch

Football at the top level is getting more and more like a computer game, with people sat miles away in front of a screen impacting what happens on the pitch.

Pause, press F5 to continue.

He looked to get the ball himself and be active therefore offside. Why over complicate it. If he'd have not ran towards the ball and went to the side etc I'd say onside.

The interpretation by the officials yesterday make the role of the defenders at the highest levels nigh on impossible. On the one hand they disallow a goal because someone’s big toe is in advance of a defender and then they allow someone who is blatantly offside and interfering with play to continue, bizarre.

As others have said definitely would have been disallowed at BP.