MAURO ICARDI’S disallowed goal against Manchester United may have stood if it was scored in the Premier League.
So United could have lost to Galatasaray as Icardi’s strike would have levelled the match at 2-2 just before half-time.
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Instead Erik ten Hag’s side went 3-1 up before being pegged back, as VAR backed up the linesman’s call that Icardi was offside.
Uefa use a semi-automated system to judge offside in the Champions League and Icardi was a fraction beyond the last defender Harry Maguire.
But in the Premier League no such system is in place, with VAR officials instead reliant on drawing lines to determine offside.
Icardi was offside by the tightest of margins with only his shoulder beyond Maguire, with the semi-automated system drawing a line right where Maguire’s arm started.
However Premier League officials judge the starting point of offside at the logo on the arm – lower than the automated system.
That meant Icardi likely would have been called onside, so his goal would have stood and United may have lost.
The Red Devils were also fortunate Scott McTominay was not penalised for handball when the ball struck his arm in the penalty area.
Uefa referees have been quick to award penalties whenever the ball strikes an arm in the box, as Newcastle found out against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
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However, Galatasaray also benefitted from the officials for their first goal as Hakim Ziyech fired a free-kick past Andre Onana.
Icardi broke a law of the game as the ball was hit, as he was stood too close to the wall – the law states attacking players must remain at least one metre away from a wall containing four or more players.