Manchester United celebrated a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, but Christian Eriksen admitted they gained an advantage with the incorrect positioning of the wall for their goal.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United scores his team's first goal from a free kick during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at Old Trafford on March 09, 2025. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
At the end of a relatively dominant first half from Arsenal, Manchester United found themselves with an unexpected opportunity to take the lead just before the break.
Alejandro Garnacho won a free-kick a bit outside the penalty area, and Bruno Fernandes stepped up to take it.
Yet even before the kick, Arsenal already seemed to be at a disadvantage in stopping the shot, due to the incorrect positioning of both the free-kick and the defensive wall.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team's first goal from a free kickduring the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at Old Trafford on March 09, 2025. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Referee Anthony Taylor measured out 11.2 yards from the ball to the wall, over a yard more than the required 10, meaning there was a larger distance for Fernandes to get the ball up and over it. Christian Eriksen noted as much afterwards.
“Happy that the wall was about 15 metres away!” Eriksen said of the free-kick. “So it was perfect for [Fernandes] to put it over.
“I saw it early. Even before the kick you saw how far they were back…it was just beneficial for us. It makes a very, very big difference. It’s easier and gives Bruno a bit more space to actually put it over the wall.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: Martin Odegaard of Arsenal is challenged by Christian Eriksen of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at Old Trafford on March 09, 2025. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
As well as the positioning of the wall, Fernandes also moved the ball to a more favourable position, about a yard further from goal than where the foul took place. Again, that gave him a little more space to get the ball up and over the wall.
“If Bruno has done that, football is for streetsmart players and he’s done that and capitalised on it, he’s more clever than us and the referee,” Mikel Arteta said when asked about the action.
“I don’t know (about disallowing it) but he’s done it, it was a goal, so they took advantage of that. Football is for clever people.”
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