West Bromwich Albion secured a 2-1 victory over Norwich City on the opening day of the Championship season, but the win was overshadowed by a controversial handball goal from Aune Heggebo. The Norway forward tapped in a cross from new signing Jimmy-Jay Morgan in the first half, with officials failing to spot that the ball struck his arm before entering the net.
Norwich manager Philippe Clement expressed his frustration after the match, stating that the handball was clearly visible from his vantage point. "It was clearly with the arm that the player scores – we could see that from where we were watching, 50 yards away," Clement said. "It was the decisive moment in the game and should have been spotted. There are four officials and one of them should have seen it. Maybe the referee didn't have the best view – but the linesman on our side needs to see that. Missing game-changing moments like this shouldn't happen – it has cost us at least two, maybe three points."
Jimmy-Jay Morgan, who joined West Brom for £4 million from Chelsea, extended the lead in the 87th minute. Mathias Kvistgaarden scored a consolation goal for Norwich in the 90th minute, but it was not enough to salvage a point.
The incident sparked widespread reaction on social media, with some fans questioning Heggebo's integrity while others ironically praised the goal celebrated the handball. One user commented, "You could see it on Aune Heggebo after the goal that he had cheated, and it's just unbelievable that neither the referee nor linesman sees this."