Jean-Philippe Mateta saw a 96th minute goal ruled out on Saturday as Crystal Palace recorded a 2-2 draw against Wolves.
The Frenchman thought he had secured all three points for Crystal Palace with a predatory finish inside the box, pouncing on the loose ball after Daniel Munoz pressured Jose Sa into losing control.
However, Anthony Taylor adjudged the Colombia international to have fouled the Portugal international, and chalked the goal off – those in the VAR booth at Stockley Park agreed with the decision.
As a result, Crystal Palace sit 17th in the Premier League.
Now, Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, has explained the specific rule which caused Jean-Philippe Mateta to see his goal ruled out.
Jose Sa deemed to be in control of possession, even with one hand on the ball
Speaking on Ref Watch for Sky Sports, the Irishman said: “He (Sa) spills the ball, but when he spills the ball, he puts his hand on it. Once a goalkeeper puts his hand on the ball, on the ground, he is deemed to have control of that ball, and you can’t challenge him.”
Stephen Warnock challenged Gallagher on that rule, saying: “He doesn’t necessarily kick it out of his hands though, does he? He just puts him under pressure.”
The 67-year-old replied: “Yeah, but, you can’t challenge him. It’s just, you can’t challenge him. It’s not challenging for the ball, it’s challenging the goalkeeper. It’s just (the rule).”
By watching the footage on Ref Watch, it seems Gallagher himself doesn’t really agree with the rulebook on this occasion, although Taylor merely applied the rules of the game, meaning Crystal Palace were penalised by the laws of football in this country, rather than the 46-year-old himself.
Rulebook hurt Crystal Palace on two occasions against Wolves
Not only did this rule see Mateta’s late strike cancelled, but a different law – one that was introduced ahead of the 2021/22 campaign – also went against Crystal Palace at Molineux.
Matheus Cunha appeared to handle the ball before Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised, an act which most likely would have seen that goal disallowed a few years ago.
However, because the Brazilian was the provider on this occasion – rather than the goalscorer – the handball offence was overlooked.
Had the Norwegian – however – handled the ball before finishing beyond Dean Henderson, VAR would have presumably stepped in.Hopefully, we get a bit of luck in our favour on Saturday against Fulham.
