Phil Haigh
Published November 30, 2025 12:58pm
Updated November 30, 2025 1:05pm
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Jean-Philippe Mateta had two goes at his penalty against Manchester United (Picture: Getty Images)
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the first goal of the game for Crystal Palace against Manchester United on Sunday and it came in unusual circumstances.
Leny Yoro gave away a penalty at Selhurst Park as the Red Devils defender clumsily brought down Mateta in the box.
The Frenchman stepped up to take the spot-kick himself and found the bottom corner, but it was an odd finish which looked like it bobbled into the net at first glance.
VAR had a look and it turned out Mateta had touched the ball twice, by kicking it onto his standing boot with his right foot.
In the past, that would have seen the goal ruled out for a double-touch, but things have changed.
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These days, an accidental double-touch leads to a retaken penalty, so Mateta stepped up to face Senne Lammens again.
The second time round, he went to the other corner but the result was the same, with the Eagles striker finding the back of the net.
The Selhurst Park crowd was informed of the decision (Picture: Getty Images)
Why was Mateta allowed to take the penalty again?
In June this year the law was changed on ‘double-touch’ penalties after Julian Alvarez’s spot-kick in Atletico Madrid’s Champions League last-16 defeat to Real Madrid was controversially disallowed.
Alvarez had his effort chalked off after slipping and making contact with his standing leg – and Real Madrid went on to prevail to book their spot in the quarter-finals.
Issuing a clarification to Law 14 in response, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) confirmed that penalties which had been touched twice would, from this point on, be allowed to be retaken in cases where it was ‘clearly unintentional’ – but only if the kick was successful.
Alvarez’s penalty was ruled out which led to a rule change (Picture: Getty Images)
‘UEFA will immediately implement the clarification provided by IFAB of Law 14 with regard to cases of double touch of the ball by the player taking a penalty kick,’ an official statement on UEFA’s website read.
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‘Consequently, all UEFA matches, starting with the UEFA Nations League semi-final between Germany and Portugal on 4 June 2025 will now be played under the new interpretation of Law 14.
‘FIFA confirmed that this will be the case for European Qualifiers too.’
Mateta went left first time and right second time round (Picture: Getty Images)
The Premier League confirmed the rule change at the start of this season, posting in ‘What’s new in 2025/26: IFAB Laws and Premier League Football Principles’: ‘An accidental double touch of a penalty by the kicker would mean that the spot-kick should be retaken.
‘A deliberate touch will see an indirect free-kick awarded to the defending team.’
Despite a retake call from VAR, Mateta converts from the penalty spot to take Palace ahead 🔥📺 @TNTSports & @DiscoveryPlusUK pic.twitter.com/x8IuhFvt75
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 30, 2025
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