Dominic Solanke’s penalty for Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon wouldn’t have counted even if the ball had gone in. Solanke sent his spot-kick well over the crossbar against Sheffield United at the Vitality Stadium.
Solanke had stepped up to the spot after Tom Davies fouled him inside the box. But just as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers anticipated a strong start to the weekend, Solanke slipped and skied his penalty over the bar.
Replays showed the England international’s left leg gave way as he planted it during his run-up. His right-footed attempt from 12 yards ended up deflecting up off his other foot and going over. But had the ball somehow found the net, it would have been ruled out.
That is because FIFA rules applied by the Premier League clearly state that a penalty taker cannot touch the ball twice without anyone else touching it. If they do and the ball goes in, an indirect free-kick is given to the defending team. The attacking team are not given a chance to retake the penalty.
Because Solanke failed to hit the target, the rule did not need to be applied this time. But Aleksandar Mitrovic was an unfortunate victim last season when his penalty for Fulham was cancelled out in a 1-0 loss to Newcastle.
Solanke’s miss caused frustration in the FPL community with Solanke captained by over two million managers in game-week 28. He had been a slight injury doubt pre-match but led the line for the Cherries in spite of a knee issue that has impacted his ability to train.
The 26-year-old striker had scored 14 Premier League goals before the Sheffield United match. Only Erling Haaland (18), Ollie Watkins (16) and Mohamed Salah (15) had scored more times than him before this weekend.
Bournemouth trailed 1-0 at half-time to the Blades due to Gustavo Hamer’s goal on 27 minutes. The south coast club sit 13th after a slip in form, winning just one of their previous eight league matches before today.
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