Using his hand to play the ball outside the penalty area, why did Dean Henderson escape a red card?

The controversial incident occurred in the middle of the first half of the FA Cup final between Man City and Crystal Palace on the evening of May 17 (Vietnam time), when goalkeeper Henderson tried to block a long pass to striker Erling Haaland right in front of the penalty area.

Using his hand to play the ball outside the penalty area, why did Dean Henderson escape a red card? - 1

Dean Henderson escaped a red card when he used his hand to play the ball outside the penalty area, causing Man City to miss a chance to score (Photo: BBC).

Henderson initially stepped out of the box but then took a few steps back, before using his hand to clear the ball just in front of Erling Haaland's toes. However, replays showed Henderson had used his hand to clear the ball outside the box and referee Stuart Atwell paused play to speak to VAR official Jarred Gillett.

However, no punishment was given to Henderson afterwards, when VAR explained why the Crystal Palace goalkeeper did not receive a red card for blocking Erling Haaland's goal-scoring opportunity: "Erling Haaland's ball movement in the contested situation did not create a clear goalscoring opportunity."

Using his hand to play the ball outside the penalty area, why did Dean Henderson escape a red card? - 2

VAR's explanation for not giving Dean Henderson a red card angered Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney (Photo: Getty).

However, VAR's explanation did not receive agreement from Wayne Rooney when the Man Utd legend angrily criticized: "It was a red card, 100% red card. Erling Haaland was about to pass Dean Henderson but he cleared the ball away. It was a red card, how could they be so wrong?".

"They made a mistake and now they're trying to cover it up. It was a red card and everyone can see it was a red card. Get rid of VAR," added a furious Wayne Rooney.

Wayne Rooney's views were further supported by Man City fans when Dean Henderson, after escaping being sent off, shone brilliantly to help Crystal Palace beat Man City with a narrow score of 1-0 and win the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history.

Using his hand to play the ball outside the penalty area, why did Dean Henderson escape a red card? - 3

Dean Henderson made an excellent save from Man City's penalty kick in the 36th minute (Photo: Getty).

The 28-year-old goalkeeper made six miraculous saves throughout the match, most notably when he blocked Omar Marmoush's penalty in the 36th minute or used his fingertips to push Jeremy Doku's shot out, helping Crystal Palace keep a clean sheet until the last minute.

Henderson's penalty save also marked the first time a goalkeeper has saved a penalty in an FA Cup final, apart from Petr Cech's penalty shootout in 2010 for Chelsea against Portsmouth.

In the FA Cup final, striker Eberechi Eze's only goal helped Crystal Palace win the first major trophy in the club's 120-year history. They had previously reached the FA Cup final twice, but lost to Man Utd in 2016 and 1990.

Meanwhile, the defeat to Crystal Palace meant Man City went through a trophyless season. Coach Pep Guardiola's team was previously eliminated in the Champions League play-off round, the fourth round of the League Cup and soon became the former champion of the Premier League.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/dung-tay-choi-bong-ngoai-vong-cam-vi-sao-dean-henderson-thoat-the-do-20250518061240188.htm