In the 13th round of the Premier League, Chelsea drew 1-1 with Arsenal at home. The draw between Chelsea and Arsenal was fraught with refereeing controversies – but should the Blues' opening goal have been disallowed due to another subjective offside call in the Premier League?
In the second half, Trevoh Chalobah’s header put the 10-man Chelsea ahead – but was Enzo Fernández in an offside position and playing a key role in the goal?
When Chalobah nodded the ball on, Chelsea’s No.8 Fernández was in an offside position. Although he did not touch the ball, he seemingly impaired Jhon Mosquera’s ability to make a goal-line clearance.
According to the rules of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the governing body for football’s laws, a player can be deemed offside if:
- Obstructing an opponent from touching the ball;
- Challenging an opponent for the ball;
- Making a clear action that obviously affects the opponent’s ability to touch the ball.
Fernández’s conduct has raised questions over these three criteria. Sky Sports News has contacted the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the Premier League’s refereeing body, for comment on the matter.
While technically, Mosquera’s right hand was level with Fernández, football rules explicitly state: “The hands and arms of all players, including goalkeepers, are not considered when determining offside” – as players cannot gain an advantage through the use of their hands in football.
Instead, offside is judged based on the sleeve line. And Fernández appeared to be ahead of Mosquera’s sleeve line.
