Jobi McAnuff says Tommy Doyle's winning goal for Sheffield United against Sunderland should've been disallowed for offside.
Doyle whipped a dangerous free-kick delivery into the penalty area, and the ball evaded Sander Berge to find the far bottom corner.
Berge was stationed in an offside position when the ball was delivered by Doyle, and former Reading winger McAnuff insists that the flag should've been raised as soon as Berge attempted to meet the cross.
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"It should've been called offside," McAnuff told Sky Sports. "We've spoken about it just in terms of the delivery goes into the area but the minute that Sander Berge makes an attempt at that cross coming in.
"You can see him there in an offside position and the letter of the law is that he should be flagged offside. They are the big ones in these tight games that your hoping between them, and it is the referee and his assistant, to try and get these decisions right.
"Clearly the referee has not seen it, and that's the reason he hasn't given it. But it's very frustrating when you've come out of a hard fought game and that's basically what has decided it."
Sunderland had taken the lead on the half-hour mark when Edouard Michut scored his first goal for the club. Abdoullah Ba found the Paris Saint-Germain loanee in plenty of space on the edge of the box, and Michut dispatched an unerring low finish into the left hand bottom corner.
McAtee surged into the penalty area on the cusp of half-time and slotted a composed low effort beyond Anthony Patterson. Doyle ultimately secured the three points for the Blades, who extended the gap over third-place Middlesbrough to six points.
Meanwhile, Sunderland suffered a fourth defeat in five games, despite a valiant performance, and now sit eight points adrift of the Championship play-offs.
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