Oliver experience shone through in disallowing Ramsey strike
On first viewing the incident involving Jacob Ramsey and Kasper Schmeichel just before half-time at Villa Park, my initial thought was that the goal could not be disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper. But then I checked the law and realised I was wrong.
Under Law 12, which covers fouls and misconduct, a goalkeeper is deemed to be in control of the ball when it is between the hands or between the hand and any surface (such as the ground).
Therefore, Schmeichel cannot be challenged for possession by an opponent when he has his hand on top of the ball with the ground underneath it. That is the advice that Michael Oliver, the referee, would have received when he went over to check the monitor and he
deserves credit for applying the law correctly. Oliver would have taken a lot of stick for his decision but he made the right call.
These sorts of incidents happen in football, but rarely on television in front of millions watching. But when you go back to the law, Oliver was spot on. He has a great deal of experience of officiating in the Premier League and it shone through.
Having said that, I thought he was slightly out of position for the incident involving Jonny Evans and Ollie Watkins later in the match when Evans was judged to have fouled the striker. That looked to me like a tight decision.
Oliver is one of our fittest referees but even he got caught out of position following the quick breakaway as the players headed down on goal. It just shows the demands of the Premier League on our officials.