Dermot Gallagher Makes His Feelings Crystal Clear on Controversial Arsenal Goal Against Tottenham

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has shared his strong opinion on the contentious decision to allow Eberechi Eze’s first goal to stand during Arsenal’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham were thoroughly outclassed by their North London rivals at the Emirates Stadium, with Thomas Frank enduring a painful reminder of how far his side still has to go. Spurs arrived with the reputation of being a disciplined, defensively resolute team on their travels, but that belief was dismantled over 90 bruising minutes. Arsenal controlled the match from start to finish, while Tottenham looked flat, disjointed, and completely devoid of threat.

Yet despite Arsenal’s dominance, one major refereeing decision left pundits, supporters, and even a former top-flight official in disbelief.

Eberechi Eze’s First Goal Sparks Outrage

The flashpoint came in the 41st minute when Eberechi Eze fired in Arsenal’s second goal of the night. The England midfielder found space inside the Tottenham penalty area and smashed a powerful effort past Guglielmo Vicario.

However, replays quickly revealed an issue: two Arsenal players were standing in offside positions directly in Vicario’s line of sight at the exact moment the shot was taken. Despite this, neither the on-field referee nor VAR intervened to disallow the goal.

Dermot Gallagher, appearing on Sky Sports, was left stunned by the decision.

“This is what I don’t understand,” Gallagher said. “I think both of those players are in the goalkeeper’s eyeline. I’m told that because they peel away afterwards, they’re not impacting. That explanation doesn’t make sense to me.”

Former striker Jay Bothroyd was equally baffled and did not hold back in his assessment.

“That’s probably the worst decision,” Bothroyd said. “They are directly in the keeper’s eyeline. When I saw it live, I immediately thought it was offside. It’s the most obvious one. Vicario is looking straight at the ball and there are two players blocking that line of sight. How is it not given?”

A Law That’s Becoming Too Complicated

The incident once again highlights the ongoing confusion surrounding the interpretation of offside—specifically when it relates to players obstructing a goalkeeper’s view. Current laws rely heavily on subjective judgment, meaning different officials may interpret identical situations in completely different ways.

Gallagher and Bothroyd’s reactions underline a growing belief that the rule needs to be made clearer and more consistent.

At the moment, officials must determine whether an offside player is “interfering with play,” but what constitutes interference remains highly ambiguous. This grey area continues to fuel controversy, particularly in high-profile fixtures where even minor decisions carry significant weight.

A Call for a Simpler, Cleaner Rule

To improve consistency, some analysts have suggested introducing a more objective, easy-to-interpret guideline. One proposal would be to automatically rule out a goal if any offside attacker is standing within the width of the posts—and ahead of the shot—at the moment the ball is struck.

While this stricter interpretation might initially lead to a rise in disallowed goals, it would force attacking players to be more disciplined with their positioning. More importantly, it would remove the guesswork for referees and VAR officials, ensuring decisions are uniform across all matches.

For now, Tottenham will feel aggrieved that the call went against them, especially in a match where so little else went their way. But the incident has reignited a debate that the Premier League may soon have no choice but to confront head-on.