Dermot Gallagher pointed to an error with the VAR system … It can be littered with “optical illusions”.
The former competition officer appeared on Sky Sports' ref Watch to discuss two major incidents in the controversial victory of Chelsea over West Ham.
In the construction of Pedro Neto's all-important equalizer in the second half, Jarrod Bowen was bundled by Levi Colwill.
No mistake was given and the game swung further, while Chelsea went up the other end to score.
But the goal itself was also entangled as a controversy after Marc Cucurella was assessed not to be offside.
Neto skipped the ball with the left back in an offside position.
However, there was a lot of discussion about whether Marc Guiu got a flick on the ball and route to Cucurella.
If he had done that, Cucurella would have been absolutely offside.
The ball came to Neto, who hit the ball in the back of the net.
After a VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand, with Guiu not assessed to have received a film.
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Gallagher – who admitted that the collision between Bowen and Colwill might have been a free kick for West Ham – said it seemed as if Guiu got a touch based on a silent photo.
However, he called it an optical illusion when he pointed to the fact that you could not see touch when watching the video.
Gallagher said: “If he touches it, Cucurella is without a doubt offside.
“But you look at it, there is one perspective that I think is an optical illusion …
“It seems that he touches it, but it's a stationary photo and I think photos can still be misleading.
“You look at it and there is no evidence that he has touched the ball.
“So I feel that he is a duty to allow the goal.”
Gallagher further admitted while the error at Bowen should have been given, there had been enough time between that incident and the goal of not going back and checking it.
With regard to the goal, the Premier League noted: “The goal of the referee was checked and confirmed by the VAR, because there was no factual evidence that Guiu made contact with the ball in the structure, therefore there was no offside.”
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