Arsenal were held to a 1–1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, but new footage suggests the home side’s goal should have been ruled out for offside.
Chelsea started the match brightly and looked the sharper of the two teams, but their momentum took a major hit when Moises Caicedo was sent off for a reckless challenge. With a man advantage, most expected Arsenal to take control and push for the win.
However, early in the second half, Chelsea stunned the visitors by taking the lead — a goal that has since sparked significant controversy.
Replays circulating online appear to show that the goal should not have stood. When Trevoh Chalobah made contact with the ball, Enzo Fernández was clearly positioned beyond every Arsenal outfield defender, with only goalkeeper David Raya closer to the goal line.
Standing in an offside position isn’t an offence in itself, but a player becomes offside if they interfere with play — by challenging an opponent, obstructing a defender, or attempting to play the ball in a way that impacts an opponent.
Enzo appears to do exactly that. As he jumps for the ball, he makes physical contact with Cristhian Mosquera, the closest Arsenal player trying to clear it. He also places a hand on Piero Hincapié, potentially stopping him from contesting the header. Both actions meet the definition of “active involvement.”
So the question is: why wasn’t it ruled offside, especially with the Premier League’s semi-automated offside technology?
The key word is semi-automated. The system only auto-flags when the offside player touches the ball. Because Enzo didn’t make contact, it then became a judgment call for VAR to manually assess whether he interfered.
By the wording of the Laws of the Game, it seems clear that Enzo’s actions — jumping for the ball while challenging Arsenal players — made him active. Yet VAR declined to intervene, and the goal stood.
The match eventually ended level after Mikel Merino struck an equaliser for Arsenal. The Gunners remain top of the league, six points ahead of Chelsea, but Manchester City have now closed the gap to just five points.
