It is 20 years since one of the most infamous blunders in the Premier League officiating took place.
Pedro Mendes was playing for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2005 when his shot from just over the halfway line was spilt by United keeper Roy Carroll. The Northern Irishman desperately scrambled to claw it back, but replays showed the ball had clearly crossed the line. However, incredibly, no goal was given and the game ended 0-0.
With that in mind, we asked our writers to highlight a controversial refereeing decision that has annoyed their fanbase ever since.
Arsenal fans hold grievances over several officiating decisions, particularly in the last few years. None of those, however, have cost them a cup final.
In the 18th minute of the 2001 FA Cup final, Thierry Henry was bearing down on goal, only to be denied by a stunning reflex save. Unfortunately, the save was not from Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, who had already been rounded by Henry, but centre-half Stephane Henchoz.
By rights, it ought to have been a penalty and a red card. Against 10 men, the cup would surely have been Arsenal’s. As it was, Liverpool played on with 11 and were able to come from behind to win 2-1.
Honourable mention goes to Robin van Persie’s sending off at Camp Nou in March 2011. Van Persie was dismissed for a second yellow card after having a shot on goal milliseconds after being flagged for offside. Despite Van Persie’s reasonable protestations that he could not hear the whistle above the din of 99,000 fans, Massimo Busacca’s decision was upheld.
James McNicholas
Even James Milner, a man always of even temperament, felt a deep sense of injustice nine years later. Milner, who played in the game, admitted he still felt “bitterness” towards referee Phil Dowd’s decision not to send off Nemanja Vidic in the 2010 League Cup final.
Vidic conceded a penalty in the fifth minute for a foul on Gabriel Agbonlahor and despite being the last defender, was only shown a yellow. Incredulously, even Sir Alex Ferguson afterwards admitted Vidic was lucky.
Milner scored the penalty but with United still having 11 players on the field, they were able to form a response and ended up winning 2-1 at Wembley. Dowd’s decision to allow Vidic to escape red was a watershed moment in the final and would have given Villa an excellent shot at silverware.
Jacob Tanswell
Bournemouth, Premier League match (Aston Villa vs Sheff Utd, 2020)
Technically, the decision that haunts Bournemouth supporters did not actually involve their team on the day. Instead, it came at Villa Park, between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, in June 2020. It was the opening fixture of the Premier League’s return to football during Covid-19, or as we now know it as, ‘the game with the goal that did not count.’
Sheffield United scored a perfectly good goal. Villa keeper Orjan Nyland caught Oliver Norwood’s free kick but in doing so backpedalled past his goal line, yet the goal did not register with the goal line technology.
Nyland had essentially sunk into his net and even instant replays showed clear daylight between the ball and the line. Sheffield United’s players protested furiously, deplored by the technology’s inability to award the goal. Even the club’s X account struggled to find any justifying words…
Hawkeye, the company that installed the technology, offered an immediate apology for their system malfunctioning and failing to inform referee Michael Oliver the ball had crossed the line. The supposedly flawless system suffered its first glaring error in over 9,000 matches.
The game finished 0-0, giving Villa a crucial point in their battle to stave off relegation. They would stay up in the end, with Sheffield United and Bournemouth being relegated. And yes, you guessed it, Villa survived by a point, with Bournemouth just behind them. Those damn sliding doors…
Jacob Tanswell
Brentford started the 2023-24 season poorly and Burnley’s visit in October was the perfect opportunity to earn only their second win in nine games. Neal Maupay gave them the lead in the first half after Nathan Collins acrobatically flicked Bryan Mbeumo’s free kick into his direction. Yet the goal was disallowed because Kristoffer Ajer was offside. Ajer was lurking slightly behind Collins and it felt like a case of mistaken identity.
Fortunately, it did not prove to be costly as Brentford went on to win 3-0.
A more recent example would be Christian Norgaard’s dismissal in the 0-0 draw with Everton. Norgaard attempted to score from a cross but his right boot caught Jordan Pickford’s leg. There was no malicious intent but Brentford’s captain was sent off and a few days later the decision was overturned on appeal.
Jay Harris
Brighton, Premier League match vs West Brom, 2021
Lee Mason lost the plot in Brighton’s 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion in February 2021.
Lewis Dunk thought he had scored with a quick free kick, taken after referee Mason had blown his whistle, while West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was still lining up the defensive wall. The incident descended into a comedy of errors. Mason initially disallowed it, having blown his whistle for a second time.
He then awarded the goal after protests from Dunk and his team-mates, before consulting his assistants and going to VAR Simon Hooper to check the replays.
VAR decided no goal since the ball had not crossed the line when Mason blew for a second time. Further confusion ensued, as Mason looked again at the chain of events on the pitchside monitor.
Mason called time on his 15-year career as a Premier League ref at the end of the 2020-21 season. The Bolton official became the league’s first dedicated VAR from 2021-22, but he left his revised role in February 2023 after failing to spot that an Ivan Toney equaliser for Brentford in a 1-1 draw against Arsenal should have been disallowed for offside.
Andy Naylor
Chelsea, Champions League semi-final vs Barcelona, 2009
Step forward Tom Henning Ovrebo and his seemingly allergic reaction to awarding Chelsea a penalty in the second leg of the 2009 Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.
There are not many match officials who have wound up players so much they have inadvertently provided two outstanding sources of material for social media to have fun with. First a few details of what transpired. Chelsea had at least four appeals turned down at Stamford Bridge that night, the worst being a blatant handball by Gerard Pique.
It cost Chelsea because Andres Iniesta scored a late equaliser to make it 1-1 on aggregate and send Barcelona through on away goals.
There was still enough time for Ovrebo to wave Chelsea’s last claim for a spot kick away as Samuel Eto’o charged down Michael Ballack’s goal-bound volley with his arm held high above his head. Cue meme No 1, which is often put to comical music, as an incensed Ballack chased Ovrebo in cartoon fashion. Meme No 2 came after the final whistle as striker Didier Drogba stormed onto the pitch in flip-flops to voice his disgust at Ovrebo. Before stomping back down the tunnel, Drogba turned to a TV camera and shouted “it’s a f***ing disgrace”.
It would be amiss not to give Anthony Taylor’s name a mention, though, given how screengrabs of his various faux pas against Chelsea over the years always get recirculated before he takes charge of another of their games.
Simon Johnson
Crystal Palace, FA Cup final vs Manchester United, 2016
If Mark Clattenburg hadn’t already enraged Palace fans in the 2016 FA Cup final, then his comments five years later would reopen old wounds which appear unlikely to ever entirely heal.
“In the FA Cup final, not playing advantages, people always remember that,” Clattenburg said on BBC Breakfast when discussing his career as a referee in September 2021.
“Crystal Palace fans will always blame me for the defeat. You can’t win in these situations.”
(Ian Kingston/AFP via Getty Images)
In that situation, Connor Wickham had beaten Manchester United defender Chris Smalling for pace in the 17th minute at Wembley, with the cup final still goalless. The grappling pair tumbled to ground but Wickham was able to recover, run in on goal and put the ball in the back of the net.
But Clattenburg was too quick to blow his whistle for a foul by Smalling and the goal didn’t stand.
Clattenburg has never been forgiven by Palace fans for that decision not to play advantage for longer, and never will be. Palace went on to lose the game 2-1.
Matt Woosnam
Twenty years on, Pierluigi Collina still isn’t welcome on Merseyside. The Italian, once one of the foremost referees in the game, ruled out Duncan Ferguson’s header in the second leg of Everton’s Champions League qualifier against Villarreal. It deprived David Moyes’ side, at that stage trailing 3-2 on aggregate, of a chance to take the tie to extra time before Diego Forlan’s late goal on the counter in added time added insult to injury.
It’s still not entirely clear why Ferguson’s effort was ruled out. Collina penalised Marcus Bent for a foul, but replays (see below) showed it was the Everton striker who was having his shirt pulled.
Ferguson celebrates his goal… only for it to be ruled out (Phil Cole/Getty Images)
Nobody at Everton has forgotten. The Italian, who had deferred retirement to officiate the match and would never referee another competitive fixture, later told Sky Sports that he had “seen something that probably television didn’t show”. But the resentment has lingered at Goodison.
Another nearly moment for a club that has made a habit of them in recent decades.
Patrick Boyland
Fulham, Premier League match vs Arsenal, 2004
Beating Arsenal — at that stage unbeaten in 45 Premier League games — was the toughest test in football at the start of the 2004-05 season. But, for a brief period, Fulham thought they might be the team to finally bring the juggernaut to a halt.
With the game goalless in the first half, Andrew Cole raced through and was scythed down by Ashley Cole. Referee Mark Halsey had no hesitation, pointing straight to the spot.
This was 15 years before the introduction of VAR and, at that time, the initial decision almost always stood. But not this time. After a chat with his assistant, Halsey changed his mind. Fair enough, you might think.
But the thing that particularly grated was Halsey later admitted he had been influenced by the reaction of the players. “I needed to buy a little bit of time so I went across to my assistant, Dave Bryan, who had a great view,” Halsey said, in quotes reported by the BBC.
“He informed me that Andy Cole had played the ball into Jens Lehmann’s hands. The TV replays clearly show that.”
Well, yes Mark, they do show that. But they also show how it was the result of the striker being wiped out by Ashley Cole.
Asked what would have happened if Arsenal had not complained, Halsey added: “You can look at Andy Cole as well, banging his fist on the floor, as perhaps he’s missed a golden opportunity. You don’t know. If none of the players had argued it then maybe you could say that, but player reaction put a doubt in my mind.”
To compound matters, Halsey then disallowed a Collins John header just before half-time, presumably for some kind of barely discernible push — but, really, who knows?
Cole and Sylvain Legwinski argue with referee Halsey (Mike Egerton – PA Images via Getty Images)
That was Fulham’s chance gone. Manager Chris Coleman later admitted his players were affected by those setbacks and Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners.
In fairness, Halsey’s bizarre decision-making was not confined only to Fulham. Shortly after the home side’s penalty claim, Moritz Volz raked his studs down the back of Thierry Henry’s ankle — a blatant spot-kick — but somehow the referee didn’t give it.
John Stanton
The year is 1975. First Division Ipswich Town are in the FA Cup semi-finals. Bobby Robson’s side have beaten both Leeds United (a match that required three replays) and Liverpool to get to this stage, and are on the cusp of reaching the final for the first time.
The tie against West Ham United has gone to a replay at Stamford Bridge following a 0-0 draw in the first meeting.
However, midfielder Bryan Hamilton had not one but two goals contentiously disallowed, seemingly for offside, by referee Clive Thomas — a name that remains synonymous with refereeing controversy in Suffolk to this day.
West Ham secured a 2-1 win to book their place in the final, where they would face second tier Fulham.
Thankfully for Ipswich fans, the controversial defeat spurred on their team, with captain Mick Mills later saying the hurt from 1975 was a motivating factor as Ipswich eventually lifted the FA Cup in 1978.
Ali Rampling
Leicester City, Champions League quarter-final vs Atletico Madrid, 2017
The mere mention of Atletico Madrid is enough to bring back terrible memories for Leicester supporters new and old. There was the UEFA Cup encounter of 1997 that prompted a UEFA investigation and, more recently, the Champions League quarter-final of 2017.
GO DEEPER
‘It was like we were going into a war zone’ – Leicester’s controversial 1997 clash with Atletico Madrid
Leicester arrived at the Vicente Calderon for the first leg with interim manager Craig Shakespeare in charge and rode their luck to survive an early onslaught. That luck would not last long, though.
Marc Albrighton’s clumsy challenge on Antoine Griezmann happened a few feet outside the 18-yard box and should have been punished with the award of a free kick. Instead, referee Jonas Eriksson pointed to the penalty spot. The reactions of Albrighton and Danny Drinkwater were enough to tell the Swedish official he had made a big mistake.
For UK viewers:
Griezmann scored the penalty and Atletico won the first leg 1-0 before drawing 1-1 at the King Power Stadium and progressing by a single goal, making that decision all the more frustrating.
A semi-final against Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid was the prize for winning that quarter-final…
Ed Mackey
Liverpool, Premier League match vs Tottenham, 2023
“Well done boys, good process.”
Another great piece of work from the VAR team as an efficient check, led by Darren England, confirmed the on-field decision to rule out a Luis Diaz goal at Tottenham in October 2023.
With the “check complete”, referee Simon Hooper waved for play to continue, starting with a Tottenham free kick. The problem, of course, was that while VAR thought they were checking and confirming an onside decision to allow Diaz’s opening goal – because he was clearly onside – assistant referee Adrian Holmes had raised his flag for offside.
Liverpool were denied the lead in a game where they had been reduced to 10 men following Curtis Jones’ red card. The audio released after the error made everything and everybody involved look worse as confusion reigned.
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
A situation in which Liverpool may actually have quite liked the intervention of VAR came in December 2013, when they travelled to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City. Having topped the table on Christmas Day, Brendan Rodgers’ side fell to a 2-1 defeat but were denied the opportunity to score the opening goal when Raheem Sterling was incorrectly ruled offside when played through by Luis Suarez.
The replays show it was not even close with Aleksandar Kolarov comfortably playing him on. Sterling was one-on-one with Joe Hart but did not even get the opportunity to finish the move. Liverpool did take the lead in the game, but a possible 2-0 lead could have altered the title picture with Rodgers’ side finishing two points behind Manchester City by the end of the season.
Andy Jones
Manchester City, FA Cup and Premier League matches vs Man Utd
It is no surprise that many of City’s most painful run-ins with referees came against their cross-town rivals, particularly in the seasons just before their first Premier League title win, when devastating late United winners quickly became a theme. There was a contentious sending-off for Vincent Kompany in January 2012, one of the first straight reds awarded for a “two-footer” under a new ruling, even though Nani had skipped past the challenge unscathed. An unpunished studs-up challenge in the penalty area from Ashley Young on Sergio Aguero six years later — while City were behind in a game that they had dominated — is another call that still grinds gears.
One other “decision” that perhaps sticks out is the generous interpretation of stoppage time as United sealed a dramatic 4-3 win at Old Trafford in September 2009. With four additional minutes indicated by the fourth official, Michael Owen scored with 95 minutes and 26 seconds on the clock, sealing defeat for City in a game where they had battled back to equalise three times.
Thom Harris
Manchester United, Premier League match vs Chelsea, 2010
United have more often been the beneficiary than a casualty of refereeing blunders in recent history. (Your stomach for conspiracy theory may vary here.) Still, one game against Chelsea towards the end of the 2009-10 season sticks in the craw.
April 2010 saw a brilliant season come undone. Wayne Rooney — who looked to be the best player on the planet at the time — picked up an ankle injury in a Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich a few days earlier and without him, United looked blunt up front and in central areas. Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea looked dangerous on the visit to Old Trafford on April 3, but could only score once in the first half (through a Joe Cole backheel) before huffing and puffing in the second.
Then came the dagger. In the 79th minute, Didier Drogba scored from a clear offside position that Mike Dean and other officials took no issue with.
The footballing gods tried to balance things out by allowing Federico Macheda’s bundled/handballed goal to stand three minutes later, but Chelsea smash-and-grabbed a 2-1 win that saw them go two points clear at the top of the table with five matches to go. Ancelotti’s side would eventually win the league by a single point.
It’s churlish to say one offside goal denied Sir Alex Ferguson’s men the chance to win four Premier League titles in a row. But also…
Carl Anka
Newcastle United, Championship match vs Burton Albion, 2017
My choice may seem a little ‘small time’, given it was inconsequential both in terms of the outcome of the match and Newcastle’s season, but the reasoning will become clear.
Promotion-chasing Newcastle had just been leapfrogged at the top of the Championship, so this was a critical home match. In the 29th minute, Dwight Gayle was tripped by Tom Flanagan and, despite going down rather theatrically, was awarded a penalty by Keith Stroud, the referee.
Matt Ritchie, the spot-kick taker, stuttered slightly but put the ball into the bottom right corner, but Gayle was adjudged by Stroud to have encroached, so it was disallowed.
Bizarrely, Stroud did not order a retake, instead determining Burton should restart with an indirect free kick.
Manager Rafa Benitez and his coaches were enraged. There were angry scenes on the touchline as Newcastle staff and players demanded an explanation from the officials, and Benitez could be heard relaying the actual rule. Stroud consulted with his officials, yet they stuck with the initial decision.
Thankfully for Newcastle, Ritchie scored during the second half to secure a victory and they would eventually go on to win the Championship title.
Almost immediately after full time, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which oversees refereeing, issued a statement and an apology. Within it, PGMOL admitted Stroud “misapplied the law” and that the officiating team were “understandably upset at the lapse in concentration”. But nowhere near as upset as Newcastle fans.
Chris Waugh
Nottingham Forest, UEFA Cup semi-final vs Anderlecht, 1984
Paul Tierney wrongly giving possession back to Liverpool after a stoppage — allowing Darwin Nunez to net a 99th-minute winner — and the triple VAR penalty controversy at Everton will both remain fresh in the memory at Nottingham Forest.
Forest’s frustration at the decisions last season was so intense it prompted them to hire Mark Clattenburg as a referee analyst — and landed them a £750,000 fine for complaining. But the fact they were also on the wrong end of one of the worst refereeing controversies in the game is often lost in the mists of time.
In 1984, Brian Clough’s side were seemingly on course to secure a third European triumph, as they led Anderlecht 2-0 heading into the second leg of the semi-final of the UEFA Cup in Belgium. But they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat in Brussels, in a game that was packed with shocking decisions that went against Forest.
Referee Emilio Guruceta Muro, far right during the 1984 tie (Robert Vanden Brugge/AFP via Getty Images)
A penalty was given against Kenny Swain, following a dive from Kenneth Brylle, when the Forest man was said to be at least a yard away from his Anderlecht opponent. And what would have been a decisive winning goal — a header from Paul Hart — was ruled out without explanation. Daniel Taylor details the controversy here.
In 1997, it emerged Anderlecht had bribed Spanish referee Emilio Guruceta Muro, who had died in a car crash, aged 45, in 1987. UEFA initially insisted it could not punish Anderlecht, as the offence had taken place more than 10 years previously. The Belgian club were eventually hit with a pitifully lenient one-year ban from European competitions. Forest would have played Tottenham in the final — a side that finished 13 points behind them in the First Division.
It is not certain they would have lifted a third European trophy. But the fact that they were robbed of the opportunity to find out still infuriates many.
Paul Taylor
Southampton, League Cup final vs Manchester United, 2017
The chance to win a trophy does not come around often for Southampton and so Andre Marriner’s disastrous offside call against Manolo Gabbiadini in the 2017 League Cup final still stings. Manchester United were second best for much of the final and it is easy to wonder how the game might have unfolded had the Italian’s goal counted and put Southampton 1-0 up at Wembley.
In pre-VAR times for Marriner, assisted by Richard West and Stuart Burt, Gabbiadini’s finish from a Cedric Soares cross was deemed offside even though he was behind Chris Smalling when the ball was played. While left-back Ryan Bertrand, standing ahead of him was offside, he did not have any impact on the goal as Gabbiadini stole in to tap home.
Southampton showed plenty of fight and came from behind to make it 2-2. Gabbiadini, a cult figure at St Mary’s for his efforts in the latter part of that season, was the scorer of both. It should have been 3-3 at least in a Southampton performance worthy of winning the trophy.
It was a magical cup run for what was considered a fairly boring Claude Puel team who finished eighth in the Premier League — how Saints fans can dream of such a thing now.
Nancy Froston
Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League match vs Manchester United, 2005
In a different era, before goal-line technology and VAR, Roy Carroll pulled off one of the craftiest tricks in Premier League history in a 0-0 draw between Manchester United and Spurs. Carroll came out of his box to clear the ball and as he ran back, Tottenham’s midfielder Pedro Mendes smashed a first-time shot with his right foot from around the halfway line. Mendes’ effort looped up awkwardly in the air… and Carroll spilled it over the line.
Instead of looking embarrassed, Carroll scooped the ball out of the goal and continued as if nothing had happened. Only a brief glance towards the assistant referee betrayed his guilt. The officials somehow missed it while Mendes was so far away that he did not realise what had happened until a reporter showed him in a post-match interview and he laughed in disbelief.
For UK viewers:
“It was one of those idiot moments of a goalkeeper who, you’re running back and it’s an easy ball to catch, but I’m looking to throw the ball out to Gary Neville instead of keeping my eye on the ball as it’s come into my chest,” Carroll said during an appearance on the UTD podcast a few years ago.
“I always say to young (goalkeepers): ‘Make sure you react to anything’. As that ball went over my shoulder, I still reacted and kept it from going over the line, which was fantastic for me. The worst thing about it — I moved to West Ham after that and I moved to a place called Chigwell. I didn’t realise the Spurs training ground was just down the road, so I got hammered when I moved there. It was a nightmare.”
Tottenham were denied a first league victory at Old Trafford in 16 years and it still took nearly a decade for goal-line technology to be introduced to the top-flight.
Jay Harris
West Ham, FA Cup semi-final vs Nottingham Forest, 1991
The only red card of defender Tony Gale’s 730-game career is one that neither he, nor the West Ham fanbase, will ever forget. It came 20 minutes into their 1991 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park when Forest midfielder Gary Crosby broke clear and was brought down by Gale, prompting referee Keith Hackett to send him off in what was the first occurrence of a player being shown a straight red for denying an attacker a goalscoring opportunity with a professional foul. It was a decision that shocked at the time and, more than 30 years on, Gale remains convinced it was the wrong one.
“I was only booked seven times in my career, so I was hardly a hatchet man, was I?’, he told West Ham fan site blowing-bubbles.co.uk. “The new professional foul rule was only brought in that week. Referee Keith Hackett said he was told to be stringent applying it, and unfortunately I gave him the opportunity. I think most people would say he got it wrong – I nearly dislocated my shoulder when we went down, so how professional a foul is that?’”
(Shaun Botterill/Allsport)
The game was 0-0 at the time of Gale’s sending-off and evenly matched, but going down to 10 men left West Ham’s dreams of reaching Wembley in tatters as Forest went on to win 4-0.
“My decision dramatically affected the game and ruined a lot of people’s day out,” Hackett (who never refereed a game at Upton Park again) told The Telegraph in 2014. “It was a tight one, tighter still today. On the Thursday prior to the match, referees were told at a meeting the law had not been applied properly. We were told a simple foul was all that was necessary for a sending-off. Gale was sent off for a foul that would not have got a yellow card a week before. It’s all people ever talk to Gale about. That goes for me, too.”
Sarah Shephard
Wolves, Premier League match vs Sheffield United 2023
For fans of an older generation, memories of West Bromwich Albion legend Tony Brown punching the ball into Wolves’ net in a Black Country derby at Molineux in 1967 and the goal being allowed to stand still rankle.
But in more recent years, Wolves versus VAR has become a running battle with a lengthy list of grievances to choose from.
The worst examples include Andre Onana getting away with barging Sasa Kalajdzic in the final moments of Gary O’Neil’s first game in charge at Old Trafford, denying Wolves a penalty, technology failing to help deny Toti a winner in an FA Cup game at Anfield, Hwang Hee-chan having a header ruled out against Bournemouth for an innocuous, alleged foul with the arm by Matheus Cunha in the build-up and Carlos Vinicius being allowed to headbutt Maximilian Kilman with impunity at Fulham.
But the worst example was probably the stoppage-time penalty given against Fabio Silva at Bramall Lane to allow Sheffield United to win. The on-field officials awarded nothing but VAR somehow spotted an offence that few others could see.
Steve Madeley
