Eberechi Eze felt he had sent Crystal Palace into a dream when his free kick breached the Chelsea wall and beat Robert Sánchez in the first 15 minutes of their Premier League match on Sunday afternoon. But euphoria swiftly turned to bewilderment when the goal was controversially disallowed, with initial speculation pointing to Marc Guehi’s supposed tampering with the wall.
Both players are attracting transfer interest this summer, with Eze linked with Tottenham and Guehi rumored to be on Liverpool’s radar, and the pair appeared poised to deliver another parting gift to Palace (watch the disallowed goal below), having already played key roles in last season’s FA Cup victory and last week’s Community Shield win.
Instead, their jubilation were cut short. What appeared to be a perfectly executed set-piece direct from the training field was called off in circumstances that left supporters inside the stadium and watching at home perplexed. While many assumed Guehi’s alleged push was the issue, the subsequent explanation proved that the decision had nothing to do with it, as confirmed by referee Darren England over the tannoy.
Referee Explains Decision to Deny Eze Goal To Crowd.
In the 2025/26 Premier League season, referees will explain why a certain decision was taken during a game. After a brief review of the incident on the pitchside monitor, England informed the audience that Eze’s goal was ruled out because the Palace defender was within a metre of the ball when the free kick was taken. He said:
“Away number 6 is less than a metre into the wall when the shot is taken. As a result, it is an indirect free kick and a goal that is not allowed.”
Throughout the campaign, the referee’s speech to the crowd, which was audible to home viewers, was intended to clear up any confusion about VAR judgments. However, as evidenced by Sky Sports’ posts, many people remain perplexed as to why the ultimate decision was made.
The disallowed goal left the game scoreless at halftime, with Chelsea using the setback as motivation to regain control of the game, but they were unable to score before halfway.
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