Referee group acknowledges Anthony Taylor's key mistake in Aston Villa vs Manchester United clash

The positioning of the wall for a free-kick can be all important in football.

Never was this more apparent than in November's Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Manchester United, where Lucas Digne capitalised on referee Anthony Taylor's incorrect placement of the wall to hand the hosts a 2-0 lead.

Now, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have acknowledged that the man in the middle was incorrect in moving the wall back further than required - which allowed Digne more room to direct his kick.

Association Football rules dictate that the wall should be 10 yards away from the ball during the taking of a direct free-kick.

However, on November 6 at Villa Park, even casual observers noticed that the wall seemed to be much further back than usual.

It was also picked up by Manchester United''s Christian Eriksen, who made his feelings known to Taylor at the time.

The goal helped Villa on their way to a 3-1 win, a result that could prove vital in United's fight for a top-four spot in the Premier League this season.

MEN quotes United sources who suggested that Eriksen's polite suggestion was 'tersely ignored'.

However, the Danish playmaker has been vindicated by PGMOL Select Group 1 Manager Jon Moss, who agreed that Taylor was in the wrong on this occasion.

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Tellingly, Taylor hasn't taking charge of an EPL game since that day at Villa Park, although he is set for a return tonight (27 Dovember) as Man United host Nottingham Forest.

After the defeat, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag said of the wall incident: "I think the free-kick is stoppable because the wall is too far. Okay, a small detail but details make the difference in top football. It tells everything from us because we were not fresh."

Anthony Taylor during the UEFA European Championships (Image: Sportimage/Alamy)

Despite the costly gaff, Taylor refereed at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar earlier this month as England's sole representative.

He found himself at the centre of another controversy after South Korea coach Paulo Bento received a touchline ban for angrily confronting Taylor at the end of their 3-2 defeat to Ghana.

While no formal punishment is expected for Taylor following his Premier League error, Moss did tell MEN that his former colleague would be 'spoken to'.

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