Chelsea were handed an early lifeline in their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace as Eberechi Eze’s thumping free-kick was disallowed following an on-field review, in what proved to be the biggest talking point of the 0-0 stalemate at Stamford Bridge.
Eze blasted the free-kick through the wall from the edge of the box in the 15th minute, beating Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez down to the sheer power of the strike. Sanchez left a gap in the wall to ensure he could see Eze make contact with the ball, but his view was obstructed when Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi pushed Moises Caicedo out of position.
Referee Darren England was sent to the pitch-side monitor by the VAR official, and subsequently announced to the Stamford Bridge crowd that Guehi had committed an offence by standing within one metre of the Chelsea wall when the free-kick was taken.
There was initially some suggestion that the goal had been disallowed because Guehi had been ruled to have fouled Caicedo by barging him from the side, and therefore illegally creating the gap where Eze would strike towards goal.
However, referee England’s announcement to the crowd confirmed: “After review, away number six [Guehi] is less than one metre away from the wall as the shot is taken. Therefore, it's an indirect free kick and a disallowed goal”.
Furthermore, Law 13 of the laws of the game state that “where three or more defending team players form a ‘wall’, all attacking team players must remain at least 1 m (1 yd) from the ‘wall’ until the ball is in play.
"If, when a free kick is taken, an attacking team player is less than 1 m (1 yd) from a 'wall' formed by three or more defending team players, an indirect free kick is awarded."
While it followed the letter of the law, the decision to disallow the goal still proved controversial, with former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton calling it “scandalous” on Sky Sports.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said the right decision was technically made but still criticised VAR for being “anti-goals”.
"They've applied the laws so you've got to give them respect for that and for finding these little details,” he said on Sky Sports. "It feels like we've seen this so many times with players scuffling in the wall and in the end, Guehi is just stronger. However, with the letter of the law it is the correct decision."
