Keith Hackett reacts instantly to Ao Tanaka incident in Middlesbrough v Leeds
Ao Tanaka was furious when he saw his first-half goal against Middlesbrough disallowed in Leeds’ 1-0 win at the Riverside on Tuesday night.
Manor Solomon’s cross from the left found Tanaka, 26, timing a run into the six-yard box to perfection.
However, as soon as the Japan international smashed the ball over the line, the nearside linesman had his flag raised to chalk off the Leeds midfielder’s effort.
Sky Sports’ replays seemed to clearly show that Tanaka was clearly being played onside by Boro’s Hayden Hackney.
Keith Hackett: Linesman guilty of ‘huge’ Leeds error
Tanaka has been one of Leeds’ best players this season and he more than deserved his fifth goal for the Yorkshire club against in-form Boro.
Keith Hackett thinks that’s the case too with the former PGMOL general manager hailing the ex-Fortuna Dusseldorf midfielder’s well-timed run.
“Leeds have just wrongly had a good goal ruled out for an incorrect offside flag,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News.
“Tanaka timed his run brilliantly, ensuring that he was onside when the ball was passed to him.
“Huge error.”
Will the EFL introduce VAR to the Championship?
There’s no doubt that Leeds will have wanted to see a VAR review of Tanaka’s disallowed goal against Middlesbrough.
Daniel Farke believes Leeds would have won automatic promotion to the Premier League last season if VAR was in operation in the Championship.
However, if the Whites don’t go up this year, he’ll have to continue dealing with on-field decisions – provided he doesn’t get sacked by Paraag Marathe.
| Played | GD | Points | |
| 1. Leeds | 41 | +52 | 85 |
| 2. Burnley | 41 | +43 | 85 |
| 3. Sheffield United | 41 | +25 | 83 |
In October, EFL chief executive Trevor Birch told The Times that there are no plans for VAR to be used in the second tier, saying that they see the league as having more “authentic” football.
Of course, incidents like Tanaka’s disallowed goal against Middlesbrough weaken Birch’s case, especially when there’s so much money at stake at the top end of the Championship with winning promotion to the Premier League worth well over £100million due to the increased broadcast income.