The Premier League made its long-awaited comeback on Wednesday after three months of break due to Covid19 global pandemic. The first match saw Aston Villa play out a controversial 0-0 draw with Sheffield United at Villa Park. It only took 41 minutes before the first controversy broke out.
At kick-off, all players took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. When play got underway, it was Sheffield United who looked to take control of proceedings early on. They dominated possession. It didn’t last long as it was Aston Villa who created the first notable opportunity. Dean Henderson was able to deal with Conor Hourihane’s effort.
The Blue and Claret army then continued to press forward, with John McGinn testing Dean Henderson again with a header. However, in the 41st minute, Sheffield United thought they had taken the lead when Orjan Nyland appeared to carry Oliver Norwood’s floating free kick into his own goal. The goal-line technology didn’t buzz. Perhaps what was most strange was that VAR didn’t intervene.
In the second half, Jack Grealish’s brilliant pass to Anwar El Ghazi looked promising, but when El Ghazi crossed to Kienan Davis, the forward was unable to complete the move.
Meanwhile, the goal line controversy generated so much buzz on social media. Many called out the inconsistencies of the technology. Former Bury FC midfielder Stephen Dawson stated that everyone saw the ball cross the line except the hawk eye- the name of the goal line technology.
Although Hawk eye has apologized for the mistake. People appreciated the honesty displayed by the goal line technology for admitting the error, but Dawson went ahead to write that football deserves a good officiating and not a good statement after a big error that has cost a very good team precious point.
