West Bromwich Albion striker Aune Heggebo scored a controversial opener with his hand as the Baggies earned a 2-1 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road on the opening day of the Championship season.
Referee Tim Robinson and his assistant officials failed to spot the handball when the Norway forward turned in a cross from new signing Jimmy-Jay Morgan, with the ball striking Heggebo's left arm before entering the net.
Heggebo celebrated the goal despite angry protests from Norwich players, providing the defining moment in a victory where James Morrison's side were well below par.
Morgan, a £4million summer arrival from Chelsea, went on to double West Brom's lead in the 87th minute. Norwich pulled a goal back through Mathias Kvistgaarden in the 90th minute, but the late strike proved only a consolation.
Philippe Clement anger over refereeing error
Norwich manager Philippe Clement expressed his frustration after the match, insisting that the failure to disallow the goal cost his side vital points.
"It was clearly with the arm that the player scores - we could see that from where we were watching, 50 yards away," Clement said following the defeat. "It was the decisive moment in the game and should have been spotted."
The manager called on the match officials to perform better during key moments. "There are four officials and one of them should have seen it," Clement said. "Maybe the referee didn't have the best view - but the linesman on our side needs to see that. Missing game-changing moments like this shouldn't happen - it has cost us at least two, maybe three points."
Fan reaction and VAR debate
The controversial opening goal quickly sparked debate online after broadcaster ITV Football shared video footage of the incident, asking supporters whether the goal should have stood.
Social media users were quick to react to the missed call. "You could see it on Aune Heggebo after the goal that he had cheated, and it's just unbelievable that neither the referee nor linesman sees this," one fan wrote.
Other supporters took a different view of the officiating error. One fan commented, "Cracking header from Heggebo tbf," while another welcomed the absence of video reviews, writing, "I'll take one of these in every single match this season over VAR anyway."
Both West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City are competing in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Standard Championship regular season matches do not utilize Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, leaving decisions on goal incidents solely to the on-field referee and assistant referees.
