Jay Bothroyd says he understands exactly why Nuno Espirito Santo was furious after Brighton’s dramatic late equaliser against West Ham – even if, by the letter of the law, Simon Hooper had no choice but to award the goal.
Brighton’s leveller came deep into stoppage time when a high cross dropped into the West Ham area. Charalampos Kostoulas connected with an overhead attempt, the ball fell to Georginio Rutter, and the forward brought it down off his thigh before it brushed his arm. His first effort was blocked by Alphonse Areola, but Jan Paul van Hecke retrieved the rebound and played it back to Rutter, who converted at the second attempt.
Dermot Gallagher explained on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch that despite the messy sequence, the current handball rules left Hooper “hamstrung.” He noted that officials must determine whether a deliberate handball or an immediate scoring action occurred. In this case, Rutter didn’t score straight after the contact, nor did a teammate score directly from the touch, and once the ball was recycled, the passage of play moved back into open play. Gallagher said bluntly: “As the laws stand, the referee has no grounds to disallow it.”
Bothroyd agreed, acknowledging that the decision was technically correct but emotionally difficult to accept. “If I’m on the pitch, I’m angry. Just like Nuno,” he said. “You can clearly see it hits his arm and he benefits later. But the rule is the rule.”
Gallagher also addressed the Premier League Match Centre’s phrasing that Rutter had not handled the ball “immediately prior” to scoring. He clarified that “immediately” refers specifically to the same player scoring directly after the handball or a teammate scoring straight from it. Because neither applied, and the play effectively reset once van Hecke regained possession, the goal had to stand.
The incident has sparked debate not just about the law but about goalkeeping instinct. Ironically, had Areola allowed Rutter’s first shot to roll into the net, the goal would almost certainly have been ruled out as an “immediate” handball offence. Instead, his save unintentionally created the scenario that allowed the strike to count.
Expecting a keeper to make that calculation in a split second is unrealistic, but the situation highlights the unusual, sometimes counterintuitive outcomes produced by the current handball framework. As rare as it sounds, Bothroyd and Gallagher suggested football may not be far from seeing a team intentionally concede in such situations, banking on the laws to rescue them.