Keith Hackett, former Premier League referee and ex-PGMOL chief, has raised concerns over Chemsdine Talbi’s late goal for Sunderland against Chelsea. Hackett believes that Lutsharel Geertruida was in an offside position, obstructing Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s view, when Talbi scored the winning goal in Sunderland’s 2-1 victory.
Despite Chelsea taking an early lead through Alejandro Garnacho, Sunderland fought back with Wilson Isidor’s equalizer before Talbi’s dramatic late winner. However, replays showed Geertruida near Sanchez in an offside position, leading to debate over the validity of the goal.
Hackett pointed out that according to IFAB rules, a player is deemed to be interfering with an opponent if they obstruct the opponent’s line of vision. He believes that the offside position impacted the Chelsea goalkeeper and the goal should have been disallowed.
Despite the controversy, Sunderland’s win lifted them to second place in the Premier League table with 17 points from nine matches. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admitted his side’s defensive errors but acknowledged that they were not good enough overall in the game.
Maresca highlighted the lack of creativity and struggles to create chances, ultimately leading to their downfall against a resilient Sunderland side. While he acknowledged the need to improve defensively and in creating goal-scoring opportunities, the focus remains on bouncing back from this defeat in the next fixture.
