Aston Villa's Premier League encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium saw a contentious moment that has ignited debate among football analysts and fans alike. In the second half of the match, Villa thought they had leveled the score when Donyell Malen found the back of the net from a well-executed free-kick routine. However, the goal was disallowed for offside, with referee and VAR officials determining that Morgan Rogers impeded Nelson Semedo in the buildup to the goal. This decision has sparked discussions on whether it was the right call, with differing opinions on its validity.
The incident occurred when Rogers, positioned offside, made a run that allegedly obstructed Semedo. Despite being in an offside position, some argue that Semedo was not in a position to play or challenge for the ball. Jamie Redknapp, a prominent football pundit, has been vocal about his disagreement with the decision, labeling it a "wrong decision."
"If Rogers had got a hold of him and stopped him: I would say absolutely because you're trying to be too clever, you're offside and you're impeding him and you're obstructing him from getting to stop the cross." – Jamie Redknapp
Redknapp further elaborated on his viewpoint, suggesting that Rogers' movement did not significantly impact Semedo's ability to make a play.
"The set piece coaches are very smart in terms of the set pieces – but they're almost too clever for their own good," – Jamie Redknapp
Villa manager Unai Emery chose to remain cautious in his response to the decision. While he did not explicitly state whether he believed the goal should have stood, Emery acknowledged the role of VAR and its growing influence on match outcomes.
"I don't know because it's VAR's task," – Unai Emery
"The assistant [coaches], they watched it and told me it was not offside because he didn't touch the ball. But it's VAR's task and I believe in VAR." – Unai Emery
Despite the disallowed goal, Villa fought hard throughout the match. They fell behind early in the game when Jean-Ricner Bellegarde opened the scoring for Wolves. Matheus Cunha later sealed a 2-0 victory for Wolves with a late goal on the break. The decision to disallow Villa's equalizer added frustration to their defeat.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) justified their decision by stating that Rogers impacted "the ability of Semedo to play or challenge for the ball." However, Redknapp contends that Rogers' actions were not enough to genuinely impede Semedo.
"As a defender, Semedo is looking at the wall. Instead, he has McGinn outside him and would need to change his body position to see McGinn and the ball. If Rogers doesn't make that run, McGinn is still in anyway. But because it's a set piece routine, he obviously does it." – Jamie Redknapp
Adding weight to Redknapp's argument is his observation that Semedo did not protest following the incident.
"You can even see that once the ball goes in, Semedo doesn't even complain. He puts his hands up in the air and says: 'they've done me'. He wasn't impeded. Villa are really unlucky." – Jamie Redknapp
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