It’s not like Liverpool are going to get the goal chalked off five days after they beat Bournemouth.
The majority believe that Christian Benteke’s first official Liverpool goal shouldn’t have stood based on the new Premier League guidelines for offside rulings.
Philippe Coutinho made a clear move for the ball before the Belgian found the net with the deciding goal and, almost unprecedentedly, the Premier League yesterday confirmed that the goal should have been disallowed because of Coutinho’s interfering with play.
“The Premier League has this week written to its clubs to clarify the new interpretation of the offside law decided by the International Football Association Board this summer,” the Premier League said in a statement. “Professional Game Match Officials Limited issued this guidance in order to clear up any misunderstandings that arose following the goal awarded to Liverpool in their Monday night match against AFC Bournemouth.
“The Premier League does not generally comment on decisions made by match officials. However, given the recent change to the interpretation of the offside law and the fact that it was made close to the start of the season, the league felt it was appropriate, in this instance, to publish in order to inform fans and other stakeholders.”
But obdurate Brendan Rodgers is adamant that the goal should have stood.
“Firstly, from coaching perspective, we were very happy with the goal in terms of our short corner routine,” he said.
“I think the decision epitomises how difficult it is for officials.It’s very difficult to call.”
“The linesman has made an excellent decision. There may have been intent from Philippe but he was never going to get the ball.”
We look forward to seeing how Brendan Rodgers reacts if an offside Alexis Sanchez makes a move towards a cross and Olivier Giroud pokes home when Arsenal host Liverpool on Monday.
He’ll surely uphold his opinion, won’t he?
