Reading goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland was guilty of a howler in Saturday's crucial Championship clash away at Luton Town.
The Royals' stopper gifted the home side the lead on the stroke of half-time when he inexplicably gave Harry Cornick a free run at an open net. Nyland, making only his 10th appearance for Paul Ince's side, had the ball in his hands and were preparing to punt it upfield.
He obviously did not spot Cornick lurking though and after dropping the ball down he had his pocket picked. Cornick was on it quick as a flash and rounded Nyland before tapping into the empty net.
Reading, who secured Championship safety last month, will be thankful the error is not pivotal to their divisional status. As for Luton, the mistake proved crucial as they sealed the victory that guarantees their participation in the end-of-season play-offs.
The slender victory for Nathan Jones' side means they finish sixth and remain on course for a first-ever promotion to the Premier League.
A sheepish-looking Cornick spoke to Sky Sports post-match and said of his goal: "To be fair he rolled it out three of four times before then.
"So I just tried my luck. I think their fans were screaming 'man on, man on' so yeah, it was just a tap-in really. I've never tried anything like that before so I just thought I'd give it a go. It paid off thankfully."
Luton will now face Huddersfield Town over two legs with the final, against either Nottingham Forest or Sheffield United, at Wembley on May 29.
It’s not the first time that Nyland has made a high-profile error, although he did get away with it during his time with Aston Villa. In the first match following the coronavirus-enforced suspension, the Norwegian appeared to drop the ball into his own net during a relegation six pointer with Sheffield United.
However, an error with the goal-line technology meant Nyland wasn’t punished for his error during the first-half of the 0-0 draw. Referee Michael Oliver subsequently claimed that his watch, which tells him whether to award a goal or not, did not vibrate and so a goal wasn’t awarded.
Hawk-Eye who provide the goal-line technology to the Premier League were forced to make a public apology, with Villa ultimately surviving relegation by that solitary point at the expense of Bournemouth.
A statement on Twitter read: “The seven cameras located in the stands around the goal were significantly occluded by the goalkeeper, defender, and goalpost. This level of occlusion has never been seen before in over 9,000 matches that the Hawk-Eye Goal Line Technology system has been in operation. The system was tested and proved functional prior to the start of the match in accordance with the IFAB Laws of The Game and confirmed as working by the match officials. The system has remained functional throughout.
