Marcus Rashford‘s single goal made the difference in the Manchester United vs West Ham United match. There are still West Ham fans who do not accept and sued the process because they thought Edinson Cavani was offside before passing to Rashford.
The Red Devils had difficulty finding goals to finish off the Hammers at the weekend. But Ralf Rangnick’s three substitutions at the weekend proved to be a hit.
The entry of Anthony Martial, Edinson Cavani and Rashford in the process resulted in the only goal of the match, when the game entered the 93rd minute.
Martial’s pass towards Cavani, who then slid the ball in front of goal for Rashford to complete with a tap-in ensured Man United won their first straight win under Rangnick.
However, there was a question mark regarding the goal process. Was Rashford’s goal legit? Or more specifically, was Martial’s pass to Cavani offside?
Premier League Offside Rules
There are those who think that Cavani was offside when Martial was right to pass because his hand position had exceeded Aaron Cresswell’s feet so that claiming his assist to Rashford was invalid.
However, according to the rules of the English Football Association (FA), there was nothing wrong with the pass, aka Cavani was not offside. Under rule 11 regarding offside, there is a statement that reads ‘the hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeeper, do not count. To determine offside, the upper arm is parallel to the underarm’.
The position of Edinson Cavani when receiving a pass in the match against West Ham. Photo: via GiveMeSport
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From the screenshot, Cavani’s upper arm has not crossed the blue line, where Cresswell’s leg is stuck there. Cavani’s hand is already past but according to FA rules it is not necessarily a consideration. The reason is, Cavani’s upper arm is still on the green line, which means that he is not offside.
So, why are there West Ham fans who still insist Cavani is offside? See on the next page!