Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has defended referee Anthony Taylor after his mistake in measuring Arsenal’s wall may have led to Manchester United scoring.
It came following another frustrating draw for the Gunners, who were back to being held at bay by their rivals.
While Declan Rice salvaged something late on, it was only enough to secure a point that puts the Premier League title out of the question.
There was further frustration for Arsenal though as it was revealed that Bruno Fernandes’ fantastic free-kick effort may have been preventable.
Referee Anthony Taylor made a mistake in the free-kick wall distance which meant the defenders were actually 11.2 yards from goal rather than the usual ten.
The error may have been minimal but it could be enough to cost Arsenal dearly when it comes to their ambitions.
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Micah Richards backs Anthony Taylor despite Man United vs Arsenal mistake
While Declan Rice and Christian Eriksen discussed Anthony Taylor’s mistake, it was clear that both were not too impacted by it.
The error made by the referee appeared to be a natural human mistake, with the analysis afterwards leading to discussions over it.
Micah Richards believes the wall did have an impact but the mistake itself from the referee was an honest one.
He said on The Rest is Football podcast: “I think that’s the key, I think people will be asking who are not diehard fans ‘What does it matter?’ [the free kick wall].
“If the wall is further back, you can get the ball up and down because you’ve got more space to get the ball up and down so it’s more difficult for the goalkeeper. I mean if we’re scrutinising that, the referee took ten steps, didn’t he?
“If you watch the footage back, we can’t be blaming the referee for that because it happens. I think now in football, we overanalyse everything.
“The referee is human, he’s walked out and taken ten steps… I mean you’ve got all these amazing technologies nowadays that give you precise [measurements] but football has never been like that has it and you can’t expect the referee to get a ruler out and start measuring exact lengths, can you?”
It shows that, despite frustration for Arsenal, it was a small moment that ultimately could’ve been stopped by themselves.
Alan Shearer questions David Raya’s part in Manchester United’s goal
While there is some grievance that Arsenal faced a further distance for a wall to block the free-kick, there have still been questions about David Raya.
The shot-stopper appeared to see the shot late, making two steps across before stretching out a flailing hand to little avail.
For Alan Shearer, it was a moment that he could, and perhaps should, have done better with in the end.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the former striker said: “I thought the ‘keeper showed him, it was a huge space he had to aim at, not taking anything away from [Bruno Fernandes].
“I mean it’s a great skill to be able to get the pace on it and up and down as quick as he did so it’s a brilliant free-kick. But the ‘keeper was miles away from it wasn’t he?”
Whether Arsenal could’ve done more to prevent the goal is up for debate, but in all it was a costly moment for the side.
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