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..AND IT DEFINITELY WAS! BLADES ARE ROBBED

THE new normal was not that different after all.

After so much planning to get games back on, it was almost inevitable that technology would go wrong.

And sure enough, the Premier League’s first game back in Project Restart will forever be remembered for the goal that never was. An all-time clanger.

Sheffield United’s Oliver Norwood was denied an obvious goal after Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland carried the ball over his own goal-line.

Incredibly, the goal-line technology failed, referee Michael Oliver’s watch did not buzz and it was left to dozens of TV replays to show the ball was miles over the line. You had to feel sorry for Oliver as the VAR did not intervene either.

So the Premier League’s top referee will forever be haunted by replays which will also be a permanent reminder that lockdown left us all looking like we needed a trip to the hairdresser.

In fact, the only comfort was there were no fans there to scream blue murder at the referee and the sense of injustice as Chris Wilder’s men were denied a victory to take them up into fifth place.

For poor old Villa, it was a let-off but also a familiar story of plenty of hard work, endeavour and effort but the lack of goals and a proven goalscorer is ultimately what might take them down. But for those of us lucky enough to be in the stadium, it was an intense game and, at times, you got so wrapped up in it you could almost forget the surreal occasion.

It was brilliantly organised, just under 300 in the stadium – mostly TV, broadcasters and media – to watch the first instalment of the top flight’s return after 100 days.

A minute’s silence before the game, every player took a

Hawk-eye Innovations, who run the technology, said in a statement:

“The ball was carried over the line by Villa goalkeeper.

“But the match officials did not receive a signal to the watch nor earpiece. The seven cameras located in the stands around the goal area were significantly occluded by the goalkeeper, knee for the Black Lives Matter campaign. Make no mistake, the Premier League have got this down to military precision as everyone parks up, gets their temperature taken, is directed to their seat and it worked perfectly.

The smattering of onlookers heard United boss Wilder and his Villa counterpart Dean Smith’s screams echo around the place.

defender, and goalpost. This level of occlusion has never been seen before in over 9,000 matches that the Hawk-eye Goal Line Technology system has been in operation. “Hawk-eye unreservedly apologises to the Premier League, Sheffield United, and everyone affected by this incident.”