Liverpool hosted Leicester City at the newly renovated Anfield in the first home game of their Premier League season. The match was played in front of a crowd of 53,075 - the highest attendance for a match at Anfield in 40 years and the home supporters were in for a treat. Liverpool emphatically beat the defending champions 4-1 in a display of confidence, swagger, slick passing, quick feet and high energy.
The only blip came in the form a moment of madness from Lucas, which led to Jamie Vardy’s goal in the 38th minute.
Liverpool’s longest serving current player Lucas Leiva suffered a lapse in concentration, allowing Jamie Vardy to punish his mistake by pulling one back for the Foxes. Simon Mignolet played the simplest of passes to Lucas, who had plenty of time as well as space to find a teammate with a pass.
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However, the Brazilian took a terrible touch on the ball, and with Shinji Okazaki closing him down, he was pressured into misplacing his pass back to the keeper. Vardy pounced on the loose ball and made no mistake in putting it in the back of the net from close range to bring Leicester City back into the game.
Although the goal was ultimately inconsequential to the final result, well known former Premier League referee and current BT Sport analyst Howard Webb has pointed out that the goal should not have been allowed to stand in the first place, because Okazaki entered the Liverpool penalty area before the ball had left it, following Mignolet’s goal-kick.
According to law 16 in the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rule-book:
- The ball must be stationary and is kicked from any point within the goal area by a player of the defending team- The ball is in play when it leaves the penalty area- Opponents must be outside the penalty area until the ball is in play
But images clearly show that Shinji Okazaki was already in the Liverpool box along with the ball, thus infringing upon rule 16.
None of the match officials were sharp enough to spot the infringement and the goal stood. Howard Webb is a name loathed by Liverpool fans, who claim that he often favoured their rivals Manchester United during his match officiating days, but he’s siding with them on this one.
