Man Utd given new Liverpool aim verdict after Benjamin Sesko resolution sparks anger
Benjamin Sesko’s controversial goal against Liverpool has sparked debate with the Manchester United striker handling the ball before scoring at Old Trafford
Benjamin Sesko scored a controversial goal for Manchester United against Liverpool(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Alan Shearer believes Benjamin Sesko’s goal should have been ruled out during Manchester United’s 3-2 triumph over Liverpool.
The Slovenian doubled United’s lead at Old Trafford on Sunday but it has subsequently sparked debate over Sesko handling the ball. Freddie Woodman parried Bruno Fernandes’ header into the United striker and as the ball bounced up, close-up footage revealed that the ball grazed Sesko’s fingers.
Former Newcastle United legend Shearer acknowledged he didn’t want to witness goals of such nature being chalked off but believed that if the regulation exists, it must be enforced. According to IFAB rules, a goal should be ruled out if an attacker scores directly with their hand or arm, even if the contact is accidental, or immediately after the ball touches their hand or arm. Nevertheless, VAR officials at Stockley Park permitted the goal following a prolonged review, reports the Manchester Evening News.
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On the BBC’s Match of the Day 2, Shearer said: “I thought it was handball. I don’t want to see these goals disallowed, right, I think the handball law is a complete nonsense anyway and this law as well.”
“But, in terms of consistency and applying the law correctly, I think me and Micah (Richards) agreed straight away that we both said ‘that has hit his hand’. “You can see the motion of the ball move because it hits his left hand there.
“It’s only a slight touch, I get that and as I said, I don’t want to see them disallowed, but when they are applying the law and that is what they say, ‘if it hits any part of your hand and you’re the goalscorer it should be disallowed’ and that should have been disallowed.”
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He added: “We are at this stage, this is where we are at now. This is where they have got us, we are actually debating whether it has flicked onto his finger unintentionally. “It’s like, come on, that’s the state the game and the laws are in now, it’s ridiculous isn’t it?”
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards agreed that while the law verges on the absurd, in crucial moments they ought to be adhered to.
He said: “It’s there for us all to see. The motion of the ball changed, didn’t it? And that’s what you need to look at.
“Like Alan said, we don’t want to see goals given away for this when we are talking about fingernails or whatever, but the law is ‘if it comes off your hand’ which it clearly did in our view, the goal should not have been given. It is as simple as that.”
Liverpool rallied in the second half with Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo finding the net to completely transform the Champions League encounter. Their two rapid-fire strikes levelled the score at a moment when it appeared Arne Slot’s team were comprehensively defeated following a lacklustre first-half showing.
However, Kobbie Mainoo marked his fresh contract with the decisive goal to secure their spot in next season’s premier European tournament.
Reds boss Arne Slot was left seething with the decision after the game, saying at a press conference: “If it was a touch, which I think it is, in a ball sport it has a certain curve and it changes it must be a contact, then we should have a debate if that is enough to disallow a goal.
Slot, who banged his first on the table during his post-match media briefing, added: “I don’t think it is a surprise to anyone this season that if there is a VAR intervention it goes against us – it has been the whole season the same.”
