Manchester United equalised against Manchester City in controversial fashion before completing an astonishing turnaround to claim derby delight at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Fans who tuned into the game up and down the country were left bemused as to why Bruno Fernandes’ calm finish beyond Ederson stood despite Marcus Rashford clearly being offside in the build-up. The England forward was beyond the last City defender as Casemiro played a scything forward pass.
Crucially, however, Rashford did not get a touch on the ball, allowing Fernandes to run onto it and lash first-time past Ederson and haul United level, following substitute Jack Grealish’s second-half opener. Although the linesman’s flag initially went up, a VAR check confirmed the goal would stand.
This is because Rashford was deemed not to have interfered with play before Fernandes struck, meaning the fact he was in an offside position at the time of Casemiro’s pass was irrelevant. Former Premier League referee Peter Walton explained this while speaking on BT Sport.
“The law was amended to actually counter that argument of whether he touches the ball or does he interfere with an opponent playing the ball,” Walton said. “He (Rashford) does neither, so as the law stands, he hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s actually very good play from Rashford himself.”
