Ferdinand: 'Man Utd were right to have their goal taken away'

Despite Scott McTominay's controversial disallowed goal against Fulham, former Man Utd centre-back Rio Ferdinand still believes the referee was right.

In the 8th minute, midfielder Christian Eriksen crossed the ball into the penalty area for Alejandro Garnacho to cross for McTominay to tap the ball into the home team Fulham's net from close range.

Referee John Brooks initially awarded the goal, but VAR intervened and adjudged that Harry Maguire was offside, having tried to get involved in the play and impeded the defender. Brooks then decided to cancel McTominay's goal, making the score 0-0 again.

Maguire was ruled offside, causing Man Utd's goal to be disallowed at Craven Cottage, London, in round 11 of the Premier League on November 4, 2023. Photo: screenshot

According to TNT Sports , the Man Utd coaching staff was not satisfied with the referee's decision. Coach Erik ten Hag also complained to the assistant referee: "Too many times".

But on ITV Football , Ferdinand and former midfielder Joe Cole both backed Brooks' decision. "The Man Utd crowd may be angry, but Maguire was blocking the defender's path, influencing the defender's decision, so it affected the play," Ferdinand said at half-time.

Former England international Cole agreed with Ferdinand, and also praised the referee for his quick decision. "We had about 40 minutes to analyse the situation before making a decision, the referee only had four minutes," Cole said.

Man Utd fans also reacted on social media, when they said that such situations, although legal, are rarely punished. They have more reason to be angry because in the Manchester derby last week, Man Utd was awarded a penalty after Rasmus Hojlund pulled Rodri down even though the Man City midfielder was unlikely to be involved in the situation.

Also in the Manchester derby last season, Bruno Fernandes equalized 1-1 for Man Utd in the 78th minute, when Marcus Rashford was in an offside position running after the ball without touching it. When he saw Fernandes rushing from behind, Rashford let his teammate shoot into the net. The goal was recognized, but controversial.

Despite McTominay's goal being taken away, Man Utd still left Craven Cottage with three points, thanks to Fernandes' only goal in second-half stoppage time. Ten Hag's men climbed to sixth, despite having played a game more than the teams around them.

Hoang An

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