Fowler goal reopens debate
Liverpool's win over Blackburn has again put the offside rule under the microscope.
Liverpool moved to within three points of Manchester United in second place with their sixth consecutive Premiership victory, Robbie Fowler notching his third goal in three games to secure a 1-0 win over Blackburn.
Reds fans will be purring over their side's impressive form and the goalscoring exploits of their darling striker, but Blackburn supporters will be cursing the decision of the officials not to rule Djibril Cisse offside in the build-up to the only goal of the game.
Fowler played the ball through to Cisse, who was yards offside, but as the Frenchman wavered and the officials paused to see what would happen next, Blackburn's defenders stopped dead in their tracks, screaming for the referee's assistant to raise his flag, thus allowing the most alert man on the field, Fernando Morientes, to burst through and cleverly set up Fowler to finish.
Rovers boss Mark Hughes slammed the ambiguity of the offside rule in his post-match interview, and although he might have been wiser to remind his players to play to the whistle, his comments were certainly justified.
The laws of the game state that a player in an offside position can only be penalised if he is active, either by 'interfering with play, interfering with an opponent or gaining an advantage by being in that position.'
Experts have struggled to explain these guidelines, with particular confusion surrounding the term 'active,' but on this occasion Cisse was clearly interfering with play, as Fowler intended his ball to go to him.
Without question the goal should have been discounted, as it would have been under the old rules, and the game could well have panned out differently.
Liverpool were the better side throughout and had the opportunities to extend their lead, but Blackburn could also have gone on to get something out of the game had the score remained goalless for longer.
As things stand Rovers' hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League appear all but over, while Rafa Benitez's side will be full of confidence ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
One has to feel for the governing bodies who altered the offside rule in the hope of making it fairer and improving the game, but if those at the top level; managers, players and even supporters, do not fully understand the new laws, and referees cannot consistently enforce them, the rules must surely come under review.
Either wholesale changes or clear clarification is needed, because at the moment the offside rule is posing, rather than solving problems.
If the situation is allowed to stand serious connotations could result, with attacking teams latching onto the uncertainty and trying to use the rules to their advantage.
