Watch Stoke star score freak goal after keeper bounces ball off his head – but it is controversially ruled out
STOKE were left furious at their freak goal against Swansea being ruled out after keeper Carl Rushworth accidentally bounced the ball off Niall Ennis’ head.
Swansea claimed a 3-0 victory over Stoke in a Championship relegation six-pointer in Wales on Wednesday night.
But after Liam Cullen had given the hosts the lead, Stoke thought they had equalised in the most unlikely fashion.
Swansea keeper Rushworth gathered the ball after Stoke striker Ennis failed to latch onto a ball over the top.
But as Rushworth then went to throw the ball, he ended up bouncing it off the head of Ennis – who was just getting back to his feet.
The Stoke man reacted first to poke home, but referee Keith Stroud made the decision to disallow the goal.
This was because the law states “a goalkeeper cannot be challenged by an opponent when in control of the ball with the hand”.
However, former Swansea captain turned Sky Sports pundit Ashley Williams still questioned the decision after the game.
He said: “Carl Rushworth’s very lucky. I understand by the letter of the law it’s the correct decision, but I don’t understand how it can be when he’s kind of just bounced the ball off his head.
“He’s a lucky man, a very lucky man.”
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Former Wycombe and QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth then added: “In the law there’s something about a challenge by the forward, the forward’s not challenging there, he’s just standing up.
“[Referee] Keith Stroud is in a great position and fair play he’s going to have to think quick and think ‘What is the law? What happens there?’
“He’s explaining [to the Stoke players] that the keeper had two hands on it. In a challenge situation I understand that but there’s no challenge, the keeper has actually instigated the challenge. The keeper has made the mistake.
“I think Stoke can feel very aggrieved there.”
And Stoke manager Steven Schumacher was also confused by the outcome of the incident.
He said: “I didn’t think it’s a foul. I don’t think Niall Ennis knows [Carl] Rushworth is there. He just stands up. He’s allowed to stand where he stood.
“Carl Rushworth has just collided with him trying to throw the ball fast and the ball’s popped out because it’s difficult conditions in the rain and Niall taps it in.
“At that moment that would have got us back to 1-1, back into the game. We would have been still alive.”
The result sees 15th-place Swansea move seven points clear of the bottom three with just four games remaining.
Stoke sit 19th, just three points above the drop zone with crunch games against relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth coming up.