RTFM

Or more accurately, RTFLOTG (as in Laws of the Game).  Sunday's big game (Liverpool - Tottenham) did not disappoint and provided plenty to talk about.  For the record, the match was a cracking 2-2 draw but most of the post match discussion was focused on refereeing decisions in the final minutes - two possible offsides that weren't called and associated PKs that were.  Surprisingly I could not find focused clips but you can see the incidents here with the first offside/PK event at 2:43 and the second at 5:20. For those interested in the more positive moments, I recommend checking out Wanyama's incredible strike at 1:25 of this video.

For me, the first incident was not offside but also not a PK.  The second was offside which means that even though I feel it was a foul, there shouldn't have been a PK.  Had VAR been in place I think the decisions in the first incident (no offside, PK awarded) would have stood.  In the second, VAR would not have overturned the foul but it would have spotted the offside and negated the penalty.  I'm going to focus on the first offside debate as the amount of incorrect information thrown about by TV and internet commenters was annoying.  This is going to get wonky so if it's not your thang, skip to the next section.

First and foremost, it appears that many are not aware of a change in the interpretation of offside that went into effect in June 2015.  Prior to then, the direction was that a defender had to possess the ball to take offside off the table.  The new interpretation is that:

A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save by any opponent) is not considered to have gained an advantage.

Does anyone disagree that Lovren deliberately kicked the ball?  That he miskicked the ball to Kane does not change that it was a deliberate act, as opposed to a deflection.  I will grant that this doesn't completely end the controversy but the outrage that this was such an obvious blown call is completely misplaced.  Read the rules before you spout on about incompetence.  Some claimed that the conversation between Jonathan Moss and his AR Edward Smart (caught by SkySports and included in this post on espn -a good overview of the whole match as well) proved that the AR didn't even know the rules.  Um no, Smart's question (did Lovren touch the ball?) shows he knows exactly what would make the play offside.  I will also grant that Moss's response (I don't know if Lovren touched the ball) is mildly disconcerting, although the PGMOL said Moss was simply saying he didn't know the identity of the player who miskicked the ball.

Now there were some with familiarity of the change who still argued that Kane's presence behind Lovren constituted interfering with an opponent.  Well let's look at the LOTG to see what they say about interfering with an opponent:

 -preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing  the opponent's line of vision or
- challenging an opponent for the ball or
- clearly attempting to play a ball which is close to him when this action impacts on an opponent or
- making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

Kane did none of these.  His mere presence behind Lovren does not constitute interference.  Not saying this is what happened in the Harry Kane situation but this slide from the US Soccer On-line training module illustrates what I mean by an attacker's presence/proximity to play is not sufficient to constitute an infraction.  I lost this argument for years as a coach until I finally understood the rule.  The keeper is supposed to know to ignore the attacker in an offside position.  We may not agree with this but the rule is pretty clear on it.  In the case at hand, very difficult to argue that Lovren wouldn't have kicked the ball had Kane not been behind him and equally difficult to argue that he screwed up because of Kane's position.  But, I will acknowledge that those who took this tack to argue the play was offside at least had some familiarity with the rules.


Grab A Shirt, Get A PK

Darlow went the right way and got a hand on the shot
but Milivojevic still converted the PK

Some are saying that Newcastle's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace was a fair result but to me it looked like the Eagles were the better side; 538 metrics seem to agree.  Complaints that Clark's penalty for shirt grabbing was soft ring hollow for me.  Yes, I've seen worse grabs and shirt pulling is like holding in the NFL - you could call it on every corner kick.  So what, you grab a shirt in the box you take your chances.  Palace missed some other golden opportunities and Clark cleared a ball off the line late that had beaten Darlow.  We were lucky.

The January transfer window ended with the Magpies adding Kenedy, Slimani (striker from Leicester) and Dubravka (keeper from Sparta Prague).  Kenedy has already shown his worth and might provide even more once he's fully fit and able to go 90 minutes.  Slimani might add some scoring punch but he was our third choice behind Jorgensen and Sturridge.  Dubravka might be an improvement but mostly his arrival allows youngster Freddy Woodman to go out on loan to get some experience.  On balance, not awful but once again, it feels like the bare minimum and hard to say it will be enough to avoid relegation.


That'll Leave A Mark

With Man City up 1-0 on Burnley, Raheem Sterling failed to score from one yard out (video is here).  Aside from being a possible winner for the year's Lead Boot Award, the miss was costly as the Clarets were able to snatch a 1-1 draw with a late goal. When he was finally subbed, Sterling took his gloves off and slammed them on the ground.  The announcer kindly observed "Well, at least he didn't miss."  Ouch.

Arsenal certainly did wake up and smell the coffee as they put a 5-1 hurting on an enigmatic Everton side.  Newcomers Aubameyang had a goal and Mkhitaryan had three assists while oldcomer Aaron Ramsey contributed a hat trick.  The Toffees just can't seem to be consistent enough to remove themselves from a relegation threat.

Elsewhere, Chelsea did their manager no favors with a 1-4 loss at Watford.  Sure they were down a man for most of the match but looked in position to leave with a 1-1 draw - or maybe even more - after Hazard scored in the 82nd minute.  But the Blues collapsed from there, yielding three goals in the final 10 minutes.  Conte did not get the dreaded vote of confidence but the board did deny they were interviewing for his replacement.  Stay tuned.

While Tottenham and Newcastle got draws, the other "six-point" matches had a winner.  Brighton were clearly the better side in a 3-1 home win over West Ham.  Both Southampton (vs West Brom) and Bournemouth (vs Stoke) were down early but came back for 3-2 and 2-1 wins respectively.  With 15 points in their last seven matches, Bournemouth's relegation chance has fallen below 1% in the 538 model.  Swansea, with a 1-1 draw at Leicester and eight points in four matches, have dragged themselves out of the bottom three, although by no means out of the woods.


Butler Did It

Mid-week FA Cup replays were once again mostly a disaster for the underdogs.  Spurs weren't exactly on fire but an own goal off the thigh of Newport defender Dan Butler got Tottenham on their way to a 2-0 win.  Birmingham forced Huddersfield into extra time, at which point the Terriers fired in three in 13 minutes to end that one.  And Swansea, resurging Swansea, pasted Notts County 8-1.  Only League One Rochdale managed a win - 1-0 over Championship side Millwall.  So Round Five is set with 10 EPL sides, three Championship teams, two from League One and one from League Two.

Tottenham got a favorable draw for the 5th round as they'll face League One's Rochdale.  Brighton got a break too, drawing League Two Coventry City.  Wigan Athletic supporters can't be too pleased about having to face Man City, even if it is at their home pitch.  Fifth round matches are the weekend of February 16-19.
 

London Derby and More Six-pointers

The weekend kicks off Saturday at 7:30 (CNBC) with a London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal.  Probably more at stake for the Gunners but Spurs fans will likely not be keen on anything but a win at home.

Six-pointers include Everton hosting Crystal Palace, West Ham at home vs Watford and Stoke vs Brighton (10 am Saturday CNBC).  I guess I could include Bournemouth-Huddersfield in that category too (Bournemouth and Everton are level on points); you can see that one at 7 am Sunday morning on NBCSN.  Swansea-Burnley?  The Clarets are not relegation fodder at this point so not in six-point list for me.

Newcastle host Man United so not looking for any points this weekend; that's at 9:15 on Sunday on NBCSN.  The other Manchester side have Leicester at home Saturday at 12:30 (NBC).  I wonder if Conte could survive a Chelsea loss at home to West Brom (another Monday afternoon match on NBCSN).  The Baggies relegation rivals are hoping we don't have to find out.  Champions League candidate Liverpool travel to Southampton Sunday at 11:30 on NBCSN.

I know the Winter Olympics will be on but they don't have soccer and they don't even have NHL players in the hockey.  Not saying I won't be checking it out but I don't think it will put a big strain on watching EPL stuff.