Football
Mark Goldbridge Wants Offside Rule Changed Following Manchester United’s Disallowed Goal Vs Brighton
Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.
Get to know Cai Parry betterPublished27 Aug 2024
Manchester United fan and influencer Mark Goldbridge has called for the offside rule to be changed after the Red Devils were denied a goal to take the lead against Brighton last weekend.
It didn’t take long for disappointment to strike for Manchester United fans this season, as they suffered a late 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend on what was just the second matchday of the Premier League season.
Ex-Red Devil Danny Welbeck handed the Seagulls the lead from close range in the first half, but Ivorian winger Amad Diallo was on hand to restore the parity at the Amex just 15 minutes into the second period.
12 minutes later, it looked as though Erik ten Hag’s side had turned the game on its head, with Alejandro Garnacho’s effort at the far post being turned in by summer signing Josh Zirkzee for what would’ve been his second league goal in two matches.
Unfortunately for United, however, despite Garnacho’s effort almost certainly already going in, Zirkzee was in an offside position. This meant that the goal was disallowed by Craig Pawson after a VAR check.
It proved to be a very costly disallowed goal for the 20-time English champions too, as Joao Pedro found a late winner for Brighton, heading home from Simon Adingra’s lovely dinked cross in the 95th-minute.
Mark Goldbridge Calls For Offside Rule To Be Changed
Following the defeat, fans and pundits alike took to social media to discuss the result, with many pointing the finger at Zirkzee’s disallowed goal as the incident that changed the course of the game.
While some fans blamed the Dutchman for being in an offside position when Garnacho’s effort was struck, Manchester United influencer Mark Goldbridge reacted with a hot take, claiming that the offside rule should be changed.
Goldbridge wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “No excuse. Brighton got the win and we’ll deal with it. But that Garnacho goal being ruled out is a farce.
“Technically it’s offside but come on…they need to change the rule there. No deliberate action and it’s going in.”
No excuse. Brighton got the win and we'll deal with it. But that Garnacho goal being ruled out is a farce. Techinically it's offside but come on…they need to change the rule there. No deliberate action and it's going in.
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) August 24, 2024
Of course, fans of rival clubs were quick to point out the hypocrisy in the tweet, with the post beginning by saying that there is “no excuse” before he, in fact, went on to provide an excuse.
Unfortunately for Goldbridge, and perhaps some fans who are in agreement, it is very unlikely that the influencer’s suggestion will be implemented by the powers that be, and that goals will continue to be disallowed when turned home from offside positions.
In other Manchester United news, academy graduate Scott McTominay is on the verge of completing a £25 million move to Napoli, while Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte is expected to arrive at Old Trafford for a fee exceeding £50 million, including add-ons.