Chelsea were handed an early lifeline in their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge as Eberechi Eze’s thumping free-kick was disallowed following an on-field review.
Eze blasted the free-kick through the wall from the edge of the box, beating Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez down to the sheer power of the strike. Sanchez left a gap in the wall to ensure he could see Eze make contact with the ball, but his view was obstructed when Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi pushed Moises Caicedo out of position.
Referee Darren England was sent to the pitch-side monitor by the VAR official, and subsequently announced to the Stamford Bridge crowd that Guehi had committed an offence by standing within one metre of the Chelsea wall when the free-kick was taken.
There was initially some suggestion that the goal had been disallowed because Guehi had been ruled to have fouled Caicedo by barging him from the side, and therefore illegally creating the gap where Eze would strike towards goal.
However, referee England’s announcement to the crowd confirmed: “After review, away number six [Guehi] is less than one metre away from the wall as the shot is taken. Therefore, it’s an indirect free kick and a disallowed goal”.
Furthermore, the laws of the game state that “where three or more defending team players form a ‘wall’, all attacking team players must remain at least 1 m (1 yd) from the ‘wall’ until the ball is in play”.
