Why Jamie Vardy wasn’t offside for Leicester’s 2nd goal vs Chelsea
Last Updated: January 20, 2021 9:30 am
Foxes in control
The marquee clash of the Premier League’s midweek round of fixtures is currently being played out at the King Power Stadium.
The matchup sees Leicester playing host to Chelsea, in a key meeting in the race for European football.
Ahead of kick-off, it was of course the hosts who held the advantage, both when it comes to league position and form.
In fact, Brendan Rodgers’ men were aware that another 3-point haul this evening would see them climb to the dizzying heights of top spot in the English top-flight.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 04: Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Watford FC at The King Power Stadium on December 04, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
And, as things stand, the summit is precisely what Leicester are headed towards.
The hosts currently lead Chelsea by 2 goals to nil, courtesy of strikes from Wilfred Ndidi and James Maddison:
LEICESTER LEAD! 🦊
Wilfred Ndidi’s perfectly placed strike puts Leicester ahead with only six minutes on the clock. What a finish! 👌
Watch live on Sky Sports PL 📺
Follow #LEICHE online here 📲 https://t.co/Iga2fFdH0x pic.twitter.com/OLX1EribtP— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 19, 2021
Vardy controversy
Whilst the Foxes’ first of the clash, as showcased above, simply came in the form of a fine left-footed strike from Ndidi, however, their 2nd, shortly before the interval, quickly led to claims of injustice.
The goal in question came after an inexcusable mix-up at the back on Chelsea’s part, eventually resulting in Maddison slotting home beyond Edouard Mendy:
Maddison doubles Leicester’s lead! 🦊
He sweeps it past Mendy, taking advantage of some poor defending from Chelsea.
Watch live on Sky Sports PL 📺
Follow #LEICHE online here 📲 https://t.co/Iga2fFdH0x pic.twitter.com/TPxs3VMnLR— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 19, 2021
Upon replays being broadcast, however, many quickly called into question Jamie Vardy’s role in the buildup to his side’s crucial 2nd.
The veteran hitman was involved in the move on a pair of occasions, in challenging for a pair of headers.
His first, though, came with Vardy having entered the passage of play from a position well behind Chelsea’s line of defence.
This, in turn, saw viewers of the clash question why the offside flag was not raised:
Was Vardy not offside from the goal kick? He completely interfered in the play that led to the goal.
— Sam Brooks (@sambrooks803) January 19, 2021
How’s vardy not being given offside for the second from the goal kick?
— Dan Arscott (@DArscott90) January 19, 2021
Leicester’s second goal should be flagged offside. When the keeper kicked the ball in, Vardy came from an offside position. #LEICHE
— Sage Adzoy (@Adzoy08) January 19, 2021
Why didn’t the ref disallow the second goal? Vardy is clearly offside before going into the first challenge that leads up to the goal???
— Fredrik Högberg (@FredrikHogberg1) January 19, 2021
The explanation, however, is in fact a simple one.
Whilst Vardy was situated in what would traditionally be regarded as an offside position, his challenge between Antonio Rudiger and Kai Havertz came directly from a goal-kick.
And players, of course, cannot be ruled offside from a goal-kick.
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on February 28
| Game | Time | Predicted Score | Live Score Prediction/Live Score | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Crystal Palace FC vs Fulham FC | 28 February, 12:00 (In 1 hours) | 1-2 | 1-2 | |
| Leicester City FC vs Arsenal FC | 28 February, 12:00 (In 1 hours) | 2-2 | 2-2 | |
| Tottenham Hotspur FC vs Burnley FC | 28 February, 14:00 (In 3 hours) | 4-0 | 4-0 | |
| Chelsea FC vs Manchester United FC | 28 February, 16:30 (In 6 hours) | 1-1 | 1-1 | |
| Sheffield United FC vs Liverpool FC | 28 February, 19:15 (In 8 hours) | 0-2 | 0-2 |
Leicester betting odds, next game:
Leicester vs Arsenal odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Leicester vs Arsenal Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 15/4 | 7/2 |
| Arsenal | 4/1 | 4/1 |
| Draw | 10/3 | 10/1 |
| Leicester vs Arsenal Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Vardy | 8/5 | 8/5 | 20/21 |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 2/1 | 2/1 | 5/4 |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 11/5 | 11/5 | 11/8 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/4 |
| Folarin Balogun | 10/3 | 10/3 | 21/10 |
Leicester's latest videos
Leicester latest news
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 26 | 36 | 62 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 25 | 21 | 49 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 25 | 17 | 49 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 26 | 9 | 45 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 25 | 16 | 43 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 25 | 11 | 40 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 24 | 4 | 40 |
| 8 | Aston Villa FC | 23 | 11 | 36 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 24 | 10 | 36 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 25 | 0 | 35 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 25 | 5 | 34 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 25 | -6 | 33 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 25 | -14 | 32 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 25 | -12 | 30 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 25 | -12 | 28 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 25 | -6 | 26 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 25 | -17 | 25 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 25 | -11 | 22 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 | -36 | 14 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 25 | -26 | 11 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
