The Premier League is grappling with a host of new rules and the introduction of video replay for the first time this season, and all of those things collided to provide a controversial finish to Saturday’s game between Manchester City and Tottenham.
With the game locked up at 2-2 late into stoppage time, Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus pounced on a loose ball in the box and scored what looked to be a late winner to give City the points. However, a VAR review intervened, and the goal was disallowed due to a handball in the buildup.
Rebecca Lowe and the two Robbies break down the conclusion of the Manchester City v. Tottenham match. pic.twitter.com/aWF1bXQXNV
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) August 17, 2019
In previous years, the goal would have stood, and not just because VAR didn’t exist. The implementation of a new handball rule means that all contact with the arm, intentional or not, is an infraction. In this instance, the ball deflected off City defender Aymeric Laporte’s arm. Despite the fact that it was completely inadvertent and had little to do with the goal being scored, by rule, it was disallowed.
Ironically, the finish echoed a similar moment last season, when a late Manchester City winner against Tottenham in the Champions League was rightly disallowed by VAR in stoppage time due to an offside.
The introduction of video review, plus a few tweaks to the laws of the game, has changed how things are looked and exposed some arcane foibles of the sport’s rules when looked at in slow motion. It started in last season’s Champions League, and now it’s come to England as well.
