Mark Clattenburg gives his verdict on ‘tight call’ as Sheffield United rue disallowed goal vs Bristol City

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Sheffield United thought they’d taken the lead early on in their Championship play-off semi-final against Bristol City but the goal was ruled out for offside, and Mark Clattenburg has given us his opinion on the decision.

The Blades took the game to Bristol City at Ashton Gate in the opening stage of the Championship play-offs game, and with just ten minutes on the clock, they had the ball in the net.

A long throw from Jack Robinson was flicked on by lofty striker Kieffer Moore, before Tyrese Campbell nodded the ball past Max O’Leary in the Bristol City goal.

However, the celebrations for the away side were nullified when Oliver Langford blew his whistle to signal an offside.

Turns out, Sheffield United youngster Sydie Peck had influenced the play by obstructing Jason Knight who could have cleared the ball, with Peck adjudged to be in an offside position.

Now, in an EFL Analysis exclusive, we can share the thoughts of esteemed former referee Mark Clattenburg on the incident.

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What Mark Clattenburg said about Tyrese Campbell’s disallowed goal

We picked the brain of Mark Clattenburg on the situation, and he told us: “Campbell thought he had given Sheffield United an early lead but his celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

“Campbell, when he heads it goalwards, is in an onside position but his teammate Peck looks like he is just ahead of the ball. Even though Peck does not touch the ball, he clearly stops the defender from trying to clear the ball from going in the goal.

“It’s a tight call and without the use of VAR, we cannot be 100% if Peck is ahead of the ball. But, I believe as it’s so tight and I still believe the benefit should go with the attacking team, I would prefer to give a goal”

So, there you have it. It’s an incredibly tough one to call on the pitch, of course, but it sounds like when in doubt, the attacking team — United in this case — should have been allowed to celebrate the opening goal of the game.

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Sheffield United flattened by offside ruling, but bounced back before the break

While United may feel aggrieved by the on-field decision, the real problem is that they allowed the setback to unsettle their gameplay on the night.

All the momentum they had built early on completely disappeared after the goal was ruled out, and were it not for a late Harrison Burrows penalty in the first half, we’d be sat here at half-time with a 0-0 scoreline and Bristol City feeling good about where they stand.

Still, Sheffield United may go into the play-offs as the team to beat, but the Blades’ play-off record may come back to haunt them if they come out strong after the interval and maintain their advantage against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Liam Manning’s men will be fuming to be behind at this stage, but given the offside goal that could have counted, and the penalty that was tucked away, the Robins may well be lucky to even be in the game at all at this stage.