Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott both contended that Arsenal’s third goal against PSV should have been disallowed as the Gunners decimated their Champions League round of 16 rivals on Tuesday night.
Walcott stated that the rule allowing the goal to stand is “wrong” as the North Londoners achieved the biggest ever knockout away victory in the history of the competition.
The Gunners scored seven past the Dutch side in Eindhoven in a 7-1 first-leg win, but Mikel Merino’s goal, which made it 3-0 after 31 minutes, sparked controversy.
The goal underwent an extensive VAR review with Merino in an offside position when Jurrien Timber initially played the ball to him.
Ryan Flamingo intercepted the ball but was ultimately—and controversially—deemed to be in control of it before Merino’s well-executed finish, resulting in the goal standing. However, player-turned-pundit Rooney, working for Amazon Prime Video Sport, did not agree with the decision.
Speaking at half-time, Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer said: “From my point of view I think it’s offside. As we see it progress here Merino has made a good run and the defender has to block the ball. Beyond that, it’s schoolboy defending, it’s woeful defending.
“It’s a really good finish but as we see here, he’s offside and the defender has to make an action to stop the ball going through. He does that so the ball deflects off the defender. From my point of view it’s offside.”
Ex-Arsenal winger Walcott, who scored 108 times for Arsenal, said: “I’ve got to agree. The player is not in control of the ball. That’s where for me the law is wrong and the defending is absolutely comical. It’s a great finish but it’s the long wait I can’t stand and why it takes so long to get to these decisions.”
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg was then consulted and explained why the goal was given. He too, though, did not agree with the final decision of VAR Carlos del Cerro Grande.
The 49-year-old said: “It’s a very subjective call. When the ball is rolled, Merino is in an offside position, does the defender deliberately play the ball or does he block the ball?
“If he blocks the ball, it’s not in a controlled manner and it should be given as an offside but that’s why the VAR, it’s very subjective, by that action of slight to block the ball he believes it’s a deliberate action to play the ball and that’s why they’ve given the goal. I don’t agree with it.”
Daniel Sturridge then joked: “As an attacker, I agree with it!” Before Rooney continued: “This is why it’s so frustrating, the defender is not even looking at the ball.
“He turns his head away from it. He can’t know what he’s doing with the ball, he’s not even looking at it. I don’t see how they’ve come to the decision that he was in control of the ball.”
