The linesman’s slowness in flagging West Ham star Mohammed Kudus offside after he wasted a chance against Tottenham in the first half irritated Alan Shearer.
When Kudus, 23, received the ball to get a shot at Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, he was several yards offside. The Ghanaian player was able to take a shot that was well off target, though, because the linesman let play to continue.
Kudus’ blushes were eventually saved by the flag, but Shearer says he detests it when a clear offside goes uncalled for so long.
West Ham
Thursday, December 7, at 8:45 p.m., Shearer asked, “Am I the only one that finds that really annoying, that late flag?” on Amazon Prime’s live coverage.
As Clive Tyldesley put it, “Well, they have to be correct.”
“Well, when it’s that obvious,” Shearer continued. Was he really only two or three yards away?
After that, Tyldesley acknowledged, “You’re probably not the only one.”
Shearer answered, “I’m grateful.”
West Ham Disturbing
Shearer is correct when she says that it stings to watch a player who is so far offside still have the opportunity to score.
It’s a result of VAR since linesmen and referees don’t really have to make many important decisions by themselves these days. In Stockley Park, after all, there’s always someone to blame.
The linesman was thinking that even though he knew it was offside, he still wanted the VAR’s confirmation in case he made a mistake.
If that’s the case, though, what use is a linesman in that scenario?
Kudus was clearly offside, and you’ve just given him the opportunity to slightly damage his self-esteem or, conversely, get a sight at goal, making him more likely to score the next time.
This is just one of the many reasons why VAR is ruining the Premier League; it’s a pointless exercise.
