Why Jacob Ramsey’s goal for Aston Villa didn’t stand

Aston Villa's goal on the stroke of half-time was controversially ruled out

Aston Villa were controversially denied a second goal on the stroke of half-time during their game against Leicester City on Sunday. The away side took the lead through Harvey Barnes following some excellent work from Patson Daka to win the ball back in the build-up, however their lead lasted just three minutes as Ezri Konsa got a glancing touch from Emiliano Buendia's header to equalise. With chances for either side at both ends, it looked as if it would all square going into the break at Villa Park, however Steven Gerrard's men thought they had taken the lead right before the half-time whistle. Matty Cash's header back into the box was parried away by Kasper Schmeichel, but as he put his hand on the ball, Villa's Jacob Ramsey was on hand to smash the rebound home. https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1467545722740527115 On reflection it looked as if the goal was fair, however after a look at the VAR monitor, referee Michael Oliver chalked the goal off as it was deemed to be a foul on Schmeichel. There was rightly both controversy and confusion surrounding the decision to disallow the goal, but according to the official FA rules, the law states that the decision to not give the goal was in fact the right one. The law states: "A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball with the hand(s) when: the ball is between the hands or between the hand and any surface." https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1467544357188345858 A win for either side would take them into the top half of the table ahead of the hectic festive fixture list. Related links:

• Jude Bellingham could face ban for comments on referee Felix Zwayer
• Brentford’s Sergi Canos struck by object during celebrations against Leeds
• Juan Cuadrado leads complaints over suspect goal in Colombian promotion clash