Obscure Free-Kick Rule Wipes Out Palace’s Moment of Brilliance in Stamford Bridge Stalemate
Crystal Palace thought they had struck gold when Eberechi Eze’s thunderous first-half free-kick flew past Robert Sanchez—only for VAR to intervene in the most agonizing way possible.
A little-known rule about defensive walls saw the goal controversially chalked off, leaving Palace players and fans bewildered in a game that ultimately finished 0-0. Defender Chris Richards admitted after the match: “Everyone in the stadium thought it was a goal. But you live and die by VAR, and today we died from it.”
The Free-Kick That Never Was
Eze’s moment of magic came in the 13th minute when he curled a superb set-piece through a gap in Chelsea’s wall—a gap created by Marc Guéhi subtly nudging Moisés Caicedo aside. The celebrations were cut short, however, when referee Darren England ruled the goal out after a VAR review.
The reason? Guéhi had strayed within one metre of Chelsea’s wall, breaking an IFAB rule designed to prevent attacking players from disrupting defensive setups. England even took the unusual step of spraying a one-metre line in the second half to demonstrate the rule—adding salt to Palace’s wounds.
Palace’s Summer of Frustration Continues
The disallowed goal was just the latest setback for Oliver Glasner’s side, who have endured a turbulent off-season. UEFA controversially demoted them from the Europa League to the Conference League due to ownership conflicts, while speculation over Eze and Guéhi’s futures has lingered.
Glasner, however, was quick to praise his stars’ professionalism, telling Match of the Day: “I’ve spoken to Ebs and Marc almost daily—maybe more than my own family! But they’ve shown they’re not just great players, they’re great people.”
Palace now turn their attention to Thursday’s Conference League qualifier against Norway’s Fredrikstad—hoping for a result that won’t be ruled out by the rulebook.
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