Manchester United’s winning goal against West Ham United was accused of being invalid because Edinson Cavani who provided the assist was considered offside. Is that right?
At Old Trafford, Saturday (22/1/2022), MU won 1-0 over West Ham thanks to Marcus Rashford‘s goal at the end of the match. The goal was created thanks to a slick collaboration between Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, Cavani, and Rashford himself.
But there are those who think Cavani was offside when Martial was right to feed him. The position of his hands ‘protrudes’ beyond the feet of Aaron Cresswell who became the player ‘second back’. So the assist he gave to Rashford was invalid.
Is it really like that? Let’s look at the offside rule according to the English Football Association (FA).
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’.
Looking at the BBC screenshot, Cavani’s upper arm has not crossed the blue line, where Cresswell’s leg is attached. His hand is over, but according to FA rules, it doesn’t count. Cavani’s upper arm is still on the green line, which means it’s not offside.
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Cavani (bottom) was not in an offside position when he was about to receive Martial’s pass. Photo: Doc. Premier League, BBC
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That way, Cavani’s assist to Rashford became valid, as did his goal. And there was no violation whatsoever in the counterattack process. Referee Jonathan Moss made the right decision.
Thanks to this victory, MU is now in the order of 4 standings with 38 points.
Watch the video ‘Playing at Home, MU Only Wins 1-0’:
[Gambas:Video 20detik]
(adp/mrp)
