The goal was deemed illegal by television replays but was declared valid by referee Martin Sludden, from County Tyrone.

Irate Louth fans stormed the pitch and commenced a process of chasing and physically assaulting the referee, who had to be led away by a Garda escort in scenes broadcast to a live television audience.

The situation led to much media debate in the week that followed, the violence was condemned by senior politicians (some of whom were in the stadium), and there were calls for the game to be replayed—though, ultimately, this did not happen.

Seán Moran of The Irish Times said the next day: "What will be most vividly remembered of the 2010 final was compressed into a minute at the very end of the match with Louth getting ready to celebrate a deserved win – first over their neighbours in 35 years – and a resilient display".

[5] Colm Keys of the Irish Independent said it was "hard to disagree" that it was "the greatest injustice for many a year in Croke Park",[6] and remarked: "The 320th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne is being commemorated today, but that surely didn't throw up a talking point to match a Joe Sheridan goal that will have the counties divided by the same river at odds for years to come".

[8][9] According to Colm O'Rourke, "there was a time in the late 1940s and '50s when Meath and Louth were the two best teams in the province [of Leinster] and played some memorable championship games".

[9] They had last met four years previously in a preliminary round of the Leinster Senior Football Championship, with Meath emerging victorious.

[9] Other meetings include a draw in a semi-final of the 1951 Leinster Senior Football Championship, with Meath narrowly winning the replay.

[11] Meath announced their team first, with captain Nigel Crawford, returning after injury, replacing Mark Ward in midfield.

[15] The violent scenes which followed the 2010 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final renewed this debate in the days afterwards,[16][17] though President Cooney later said "the last thing we want to do is put fencing up around Croke Park".

[20] Meath converted two long-range free kicks from Cian Ward, but Louth still led by one point in the final minute.

[21] Louth fans poured onto the pitch to express their feelings to the referee,[20][21] and, in the words of The Irish Times, "all hell broke loose".

[20][21][22] One man who was wearing a red shirt shoved Sludden in the chest before being pursued by television cameras as he made his departure.

[5] Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick intervened to physically urge the fans to halt their behaviour,[21] an act later described by the Irish Independent as "a remarkable display of composure from the Dundalk man, who had every right to be spitting feathers at the defeat".

[27] Elsewhere in the stadium, former Meath All-Ireland Senior Football Championship-winning manager Seán Boylan was involved in an altercation with an irate Louth fan in a corporate box.

[32] Appearing later on radio station LMFM, he described the referee as "Dick Turpin without a mask", adding "It was pure daylight robbery.

[29] When questioned at a press conference about Sheridan's goal, Meath manager Eamon O'Brien said: "I can't say and I'm not commenting.

[29] Louth player J. P. Rooney said: "Aaron Hoey was pleading with [Sludden] to consult with his umpires but when he went in, he told them to put up the green flag.

[33] The Irish Independent said "Meath's Leinster Final goal-that-never-was will go down in history – and not only in Ireland, since by now the images have flashed round the world – among the great injustices suffered in any sport".

[34] The Irish Times described "ugly scenes",[20] with Damian Cullen calling it "one of the strangest endings ever to a GAA match",[35] Seán Moran describing it as "the most extraordinary refereeing error since Jimmy Cooney whistled up early 12 years ago",[29] and the newspaper publishing numerous letters on the topic from disgruntled members of the public every day that week.

[22] The events in Croke Park led to less prominent newspaper coverage of the FIFA World Cup Final itself the next day.

[25] The incident surrounding the goal was likened to Thierry Henry's illegal handball in the France vs Republic of Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off.

[33] Former Kerry footballer Darragh Ó Sé described the idea of Meath County Board having the final decision on a replay as "a complete and utter cop-out".

[56] Sligo footballer Eamonn O'Hara suggested that the events gave "the perfect opportunity [for the GAA] to revamp the way match-day officials are selected".

[57] Veteran commentator Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh told Ryan Tubridy on his radio show that "Croke Park abdicated responsibility.

[24] On 13 July, Louth's county executive committee issued a statement condemning what it described as "the unsavoury incidents after the match".

[66][67] Louth accepted this: their official statement referred to the July 2010 R238 traffic collision which occurred on the same day as the final, sympathising with relatives of the eight people killed, and opting to avoid legal action in such a context.

[74] In the game, held once again at Croke Park on 24 July,[75] Louth were defeated by 2–14 to 0–13, thus being eliminated from the 2010 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

[3] On 15 September 2014, "A Wee Royal Rumble - The Story of the 2010 Leinster Football Final" was broadcast on RTÉ One as part of Scannal, the TV series dedicated to scandalous events.

[79] Nearly ten years later, in a newspaper article published on Easter Sunday, Fitzpatrick - who had earlier watched the match for just the third time since (the first having been the night it was played) - stated that he had seen referee Sludden only once since: "I went to Michaela Harte's funeral [in mid-January 2011] and he was ahead of me in the queue.