Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has given his opinion on a big offside and penalty decision in the Crystal Palace vs West Brom game.
Roy Hodgson’s men came away from Selhurst Park with all three points after a close encounter in South London over the weekend.
Luka Milivojevic’s 37th-minute penalty, given after Darnell Furlong was adjudged to have handled Wilfried Zaha’s cross, secured the victory for the Eagles.
There was a lengthy delay before the penalty was awarded after the VAR checked whether Zaha was onside in the build-up to Furlong’s handball, with both calls eventually going in Palace’s favour.
It leaves the Baggies 10 points from safety with just nine games remaining of this Premier League campaign as Sam Allardyce’s side face an immediate return to the Championship.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with This is Futbol, Halsey had this to say on the game’s defining moment.
He said: “Measuring from the armpit and the T-Shirt line, you don’t want to see those sort of incidents given offside, and I think he was just about level anyway.
“With the handful, I think, for me, it’s a deliberate act. He deliberately moves his arm towards the ball, and it’s a clear penalty. I was just surprised that Simon Hooper didn’t give that in real-time. He just didn’t get the correct viewing angle; he’s moved across too far; he should’ve just stayed central.”
TIF Thoughts on the offside…
We agree with Halsey over both incidents on this occasion. Although the offside decision was extremely tight, it appeared as though the VAR came to the correct conclusion, and even the most ardent Baggies supporters would struggle to defender Furlong.
The 25-year-old defender made his body bigger by deliberately moving it into the path of the ball, preventing a shot on goal, and in accordance with Law 12, that is a penalty offence.
It’s a result that leaves the Midlands outfit in serious danger of immediately returning to England’s second tier, but they can have no complaints about these refereeing decisions.