The gorgeous free kick hit by Eberechi Eze this past week against Chelsea. This moment has given rise to a rich discussion around the interpretation of football laws. The incident occurred on Monday, 18 August 2025, at 10:10 UK time, when Eze, representing his team, sought to capitalize on a set-piece opportunity. When the free-kick was ruled out, it raised doubts about the controversial decision and what it would mean for other matches going forward.
We brought in former top-flight referee Dermot Gallagher to our Ref Watch segment to help explain the law and why Eze’s free-kick was disallowed. Gallagher told us that the decision was based on 7.16.2.a, in relation to player position at set piece taking and set-piece execution. His perspective really illustrated how the enforcement of these laws can make a difference in game defining situations. The perfect example would be Eze’s shot against Chelsea.
At the top of the discussion, Gallagher went into detail about worrying that more cases like this could happen in future games. He expressed concern that an interpretation of the law could be challenged all the way up, possibly establishing a precedent for future officiating decisions. This omission directly affected the outcome of the match. It was important for the public debate that it provoked about refereeing being consistent (i.e. not sending off both players).
Eze’s set-piece awarded the visitors a golden opportunity to snatch a comeback victory against Chelsea. This moment was nothing short of a game-changing play. The disallowance caused huge controversy. It started an important conversation about the rules dictating free-kicks and their implementation during game-changing moments.
Gallagher’s Tech Analysis got even better with the addition of a HTML 5 video player for Chrome. This simple but brilliant feature provided all viewers a convenient reference point to look back at the incident. This release allowed fans and advanced scouts to engage in a systemic way with the content. Or they would conduct more robust qualitative research on the decision-making process behind officiating.
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