Sunderland 1 – Liverpool 0

Problems come in all shapes and sizes. Alongside the usual headaches  – injuries, boardroom uncertainty and the like – Rafael Benitez can now add beachballs after watching his side slip to their third successive defeat in bizarre circumstances at Sunderland.

"These things happen," was Rafa’s response after Darren Bent scored the only goal of the game at the Stadium of Light. The  striker's shot, which was bound for the waiting palms of Pepe Reina, was deflected past the visiting keeper after striking a stray beach ball that seconds earlier had been thrown on to the pitch by a Liverpool fan.

"It was a special situation but we didn't play well," Benítez said. "The goal changed the game but we didn't play well, made some mistakes and gave the ball away. They played well on the counterattack. They had some chances and when we had our chances we didn't take them.

Benitez's reflective manner can perhaps be explained by the fact that he seemed unaware that the goal should have been disallowed. Asked whether he thought the goal should have stood, he said: "It's a very technical question. It could be a goal; it's difficult to say. In this case it has to be a goal."

The Sunderland manager, Steve Bruce, admitted that he was also unaware of the rule, though he had clearly been informed by the time he was called upon to make his post-match comments. "What a shame," was his tongue-in-cheek response.

Regardless of the bizarre manner in which it was inflicted, the 1-0 defeat leaves Benítez under pressure, with his team in eighth place in the Premier League, seven points behind the leaders Manchester United. The Reds have already lost four times in the league in this campaign, double the number they suffered throughout last season.

As for the technicalities of the goal, it's all about what impact the beach ball had on play. In this case it clearly deflected the shot past the keeper: otherwise he could have made a save. So the moment the two balls made contact the beach ball becomes an "outside agent" – the same as a fan, a dog or any other unexpected arrival on the pitch that clearly changes the course of a game.
If the ball had simply struck the outside agent on its way into the net without changing direction or speed then the goal would stand – the key here is that the outside agent has caused the ball to enter the net, by changing the course of its flight and distracting the keeper.