An explanation has been given as to why Ismaila Sarr's goal for Crystal Palace was ruled out for offside against Tottenham, despite the fact the forward was onside before slotting home in North London. Oliver Glasner's side were looking to build some momentum ahead of next week's FA Cup final against Manchester City, and looked to have made the perfect start with an opener inside 10 minutes.
However, after a review by VAR, the goal was chalked off due to an infringement from striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in the build up. The Frenchman was adjudged to have been ahead of the play while being played through, despite the fact he appeared to be inside his own half.
PL Match Centre Break Down Mateta Offside
Many were left confused by the decision
Despite the fact that the Palace striker's feet were inside his own half at the time of the incident that saw VAR chalk off the goal, close inspection showed that, by the finest of margins, Mateta was offside, with his shoulder ahead of Tottenham full-back Djed Spence, who himself had just crept over the halfway line.
Taking to social media, the PL Match Centre X account explained the decision, stating:
"VAR checked the referee’s call of goal – and established that Mateta was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed."
While Palace fans were left frustrated by the decision, their players didn't let it impact their performance, as they continued to dominate proceedings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Eberechi Eze scoring in either half to give the Eagles a commanding two-goal cushion.
There was even more bad news for Spurs fans too, as Dejan Kulusevski was taken off with an injury early in the first period, less than a fortnight before the all-important Europa League final with Manchester United.