Why Jamie Vardy wasn’t offside for Leicester’s 2nd goal vs Chelsea

Many viewers of the meeting between Leicester City and Chelsea this evening have taken to social media to question why Jamie Vardy was not adjudged to have been offside, in the buildup to the former’s 2nd goal.

By Conor Laird Published: January 19, 2021 9:40 pmLast Updated: January 19, 2021 9:44 pm

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:

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:

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:

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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Premier League table

# Team MP D P 1 Manchester United FC 18 10 37 2 Manchester City FC 17 16 35 3 Leicester City FC 18 12 35 4 Liverpool FC 18 16 34 5 Tottenham Hotspur FC 18 16 33 6 Everton FC 17 7 32 7 Chelsea FC 18 12 29 8 Southampton FC 18 5 29 9 West Ham United FC 18 4 29 10 Arsenal FC 19 4 27 11 Aston Villa FC 15 13 26 12 Leeds United 18 -4 23 13 Crystal Palace FC 19 -11 23 14 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 19 -8 22 15 Newcastle United FC 18 -12 19 16 Brighton & Hove Albion FC 19 -7 17 17 Burnley FC 17 -13 16 18 Fulham FC 17 -11 12 19 West Bromwich Albion 18 -27 11 20 Sheffield United FC 19 -22 5 Player Team Goals Salah, Mohamed Liverpool FC 13 Kane, Harry Tottenham Hotspur FC 12 Son, Heung Min Tottenham Hotspur FC 12 Fernandes, Bruno Manchester United FC 11 Vardy, Jamie Leicester City FC 11 Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Everton FC 11 Bamford, Patrick Leeds United 10 Zaha, Wilfried Crystal Palace FC 8 Wilson, Callum Newcastle United FC 8 Rashford, Marcus Manchester United FC 7 Ings, Danny Southampton FC 7 Maupay, Neal Brighton & Hove Albion FC 7 Lacazette, Alexandre Arsenal FC 7 Mane, Sadio Liverpool FC 6 Maddison, James Leicester City FC 6 Watkins, Ollie Aston Villa FC 6 Barnes, Harvey Leicester City FC 6 Abraham, Tammy Chelsea FC 6 Grealish, Jack Aston Villa FC 5 Sterling, Raheem Manchester City FC 5 Player Team Red Cards Yellow Cards Bellerin, Hector Arsenal FC 0 6 Gallagher, Conor West Bromwich Albion 0 6 Bissouma, Yves Brighton & Hove Albion FC 1 5 Egan, John Sheffield United FC 1 5 Hayden, Isaac Newcastle United FC 0 6 Reid, Bobby Fulham FC 0 5 Doucoure, Abdoulaye Everton FC 0 5 Romeu, Oriol Southampton FC 0 5 Dunk, Lewis Brighton & Hove Albion FC 1 4 Phillips, Kalvin Leeds United 0 5 Cash, Matty Aston Villa FC 0 5 Evans, Jonny Leicester City FC 0 5 Lundstram, John Sheffield United FC 1 4 Kante, N`Golo Chelsea FC 0 5 Milivojevic, Luka Crystal Palace FC 1 4 Fernandes, Bruno Manchester United FC 0 4 Grealish, Jack Aston Villa FC 0 4 Ward-Prowse, James Southampton FC 0 4 Tielemans, Youri Leicester City FC 0 4 Klich, Mateusz Leeds United 0 4 Player Team Assists Kane, Harry Tottenham Hotspur FC 11 De Bruyne, Kevin Manchester City FC 9 Fernandes, Bruno Manchester United FC 7 Grealish, Jack Aston Villa FC 7 Son, Heung Min Tottenham Hotspur FC 6 Rashford, Marcus Manchester United FC 5 Robertson, Andrew Liverpool FC 5 Digne, Lucas Everton FC 5 Vardy, Jamie Leicester City FC 4 Ward-Prowse, James Southampton FC 4 Werner, Timo Chelsea FC 4 Adams, Che Southampton FC 4 Harrison, Jack Leeds United 4 Chilwell, Benjamin Chelsea FC 4 McGinn, John Aston Villa FC 4 Cresswell, Aaron West Ham United FC 4 Salah, Mohamed Liverpool FC 3 Ings, Danny Southampton FC 3 Sterling, Raheem Manchester City FC 3 Firmino, Roberto Liverpool FC 3