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A32 sports
Dialuna 28 September 2020

Handball rule draws widespread ire in penalty-dominated EPL

Jose Mourinho had seen enough.

Former Liverpool defender punctured the optimism that
Jamie Carragher urged the followed the team's 3-1 win
game’s governing bodies to at Wolverhampton on Mon-
“sort this out.” “This pen- day.
alty nonsense is ruining the “The problem was we put
game,” Carragher tweeted. extra pressure on ourselves to
Leicester became the first score the second or third one
team to score three penalties when they just didn’t want to
in a single Premier League play,” Guardiola said. “They
game, according to the just wanted to defend and
league’s official statistics sup- play on the counterattack and
plier, Opta. in that position we have to be
more calm.”
Man city implodes
By defending deeply, limiting Bowen double
the space centrally and strik- Wolves, who had one of the
ing quickly on the counter- tightest defenses last sea-
attack, Leicester had a game son, have now conceded at
plan at Man City that worked least three goals in successive
a treat. games after getting beaten
Leicester was helped by some 4-0 by West Ham.
poor defending by the hosts, Jarrod Bowen scored twice at
too. the Olympic Stadium, with
Kyle Walker, Eric Garcia and Raul Jimenez's own-goal and
Benjamin Mendy all con- a late header by substitute Se-
The fulltime whistle had yet be many more as defenders day after conceding a hand- ceded penalties with clumsy bastien Haller helping West
to be blown but the Totten- struggle to adapt to a newly ball penalty for the winning fouls, with Vardy converting Ham register its first points
ham manager stormed down adopted interpretation of the goal. Mourinho chose not two and Youri Tielemans the of the season.
the tunnel — his head down defensive handball rule. to criticize the rule for fear other. Between his spot kicks,
and hands in his pockets — The Premier League has fall- of collecting a fine from the Vardy met a right-wing cross Bamford strikes again
after seeing his team fall foul en in line with the rest of Eu- Football Association, but his with a deft backheel flick, While Leeds was winning the
of a handball ruling that has ropean soccer this season to Newcastle counterpart had meaning last season's Golden second-tier Championship
quickly become the biggest apply the ruling in a stricter his say. Boot winner has now scored last season, Patrick Bamford
talking point of the Premier way rather simply than judg- “It’s a total nonsense,” Steve five goals already. James was being criticized for his
League season. ing it on intent. Like Robin Bruce said. “We’ve got one Maddison scored Leicester's poor conversion rate for the
Koch, Victor Lindelof, Matt today and we should be other goal, a 25-meter curler champions.
It was the fifth minute of Doherty, Neal Maupay and jumping for joy and through into the top corner. In the Premier League, it's
stoppage time and Totten- Joel Ward before him this hoops, but I’d be devastated if already three goals in three
ham was seeing out a 1-0 lead season, Dier was adjudged it was against us.” Players past City, which scored through games for the striker.
against Newcastle when a to have made his body un- and present spoke of their op- Riyad Mahrez in the fourth Bamford kept up his record
ball was pumped into Spurs’ naturally bigger by having position to the rule interpre- minute to take the lead and of scoring in every league
penalty area from a free kick. his arm out when it was hit tation, too. “The FA needs to then late through Nathan game so far by heading an
A header by Newcastle sub- by the ball, leaving the ref- start asking themselves some Ake, didn't have a recognized 88th-minute goal to earn
stitute Andy Carroll struck eree little option but to award serious questions,” tweeted striker because of injuries to Leeds a 1-0 win at Yorkshire
the outstretched arm of Eric a penalty by the letter of the Jan Vertonghen, the former Sergio Aguero and Gabriel rival Sheffield United.
Dier — as the Tottenham de- law. Crystal Palace man- Tottenham defender who Jesus amid a slew of absen- United has yet to collect a
fender was looking the other ager Roy Hodgson said the recently moved to Benfica. tees. point and hasn't scored a goal
way — and loud appeals from newly adopted rule was “kill- “Absolutely shocking deci- It was Pep Guardiola's worst in the first three games of its
Newcastle players reverber- ing the game” after his team sions and they are hiding be- home defeat since taking season for the first time in its
ated around the empty sta- lost 2-1 to Everton on Satur- hind the referees.” charge of City in 2016, and 131-year history.
dium. Almost inevitably, a
penalty was awarded after the
referee took the opportunity
to view the incident on the
pitchside monitor.

Callum Wilson converted the
spot kick from Newcastle’s
first shot on target all match,
the visitors were about to es-
cape with a 1-1 draw, and a
disgusted Mourinho didn’t
want to hang around. It
was also a day to forget for
Mourinho’s big coaching ri-
val, Pep Guardiola, whose
Manchester City team con-
ceded three penalties — none
of them for handball, howev-
er — and lost 5-2 at home to
Leicester. Jamie Vardy scored
a hat trick, with two of them
coming from the penalty
spot. There have already been
20 penalties in just 25 games
in the Premier League this
season, and there is likely to