Using your rationale, the Morgan and Huth goals I referred to should have been disallowed. Do you agree?
I haven't looked at those goals closely. But it wouldn't surprise me if there was an offence there, players get away with it all the time. As I said earlier, pulling/holding happens so often people seem to think it's allowed.
Pulling someone back is a holding offence. This is what the Ken Aston website says about it.
"Holding can include clutching an opponent's arm or shirt. Shirt pulling has become popular, and Referees World-wide have been asked to stamp down on players found guilty of this offence. It is often very difficult to see shirt pulling, you will have to rely on vigilant Assistant Referees, and good positioning to observe, minimize and penalize this offence. The definition of holding is when a player holds or grasps an opponent, with the aim of unfairly stopping the opponent from moving where he wishes to go.
The use of the hand during holding is not important, opponents can be held with: (a) the body leaning against them, (b) an arm detaining their progress, (c) a wrist on the shoulder thus preventing a player jumping, (d) by placing a foot on top of an opponents foot, thus preventing opponents from jumping upwards."
Pulling someone's arm isn't something you can do by accident. The only reason to do it is to try to impede them, so it should always be a foul.
