In the top match of round 10 of the Premier League, Man Utd suffered a 0-3 defeat against Man City. The turning point of the match was the referee's controversial use of VAR. In the 22nd minute, Man City was awarded a free kick on the right wing. Julian Alvarez took the free kick but was blocked by Man Utd's defense.
VAR determined that Hojlund pulled down Rodri in the penalty area (Photo: Mirror).
It seemed like the situation had passed, but Rodri complained to referee Paul Tierney about Hojlund pulling him down. After that, the "king in black" stopped the ball to check the VAR screen. Finally, the referee awarded Man City a penalty and Haaland successfully took it.
Sharing on his personal page, referee Mike Dean affirmed that the referee was right to blow the penalty for Man Utd. He said: "I watched this situation over and over again. Hojlund clearly had a situation that prevented Rodri from reaching the ball.
I even had to look at different camera angles and it was clear that Hojlund was blocking Rodri."
However, Man Utd fans are still frustrated because they think the referees have used VAR inconsistently. There are many situations similar to Hojlund's but they are not reviewed by VAR.
Man Utd players and fans are unhappy with referee Paul Tierney for the penalty situation (Photo: Getty).
Here are some comments on social network X (formerly known as Twitter):
"VAR is used so inconsistently. It's like a joke. Such situations happen dozens of times in a match."
"Every set piece situation has players hugging each other like that. Why does VAR only look at Man Utd situations?"
"What a ridiculous penalty. Rodri was about to fall over when Hojlund hugged him."
"Are penalties so easy to come by these days?"
This is not the first time Man Utd have been hit by VAR this season. Against Arsenal, they had a goal ruled out for Alejandro Garnacho being offside. Man Utd were also denied a penalty against Crystal Palace despite the opposition handling the ball in the box.
Man City awarded first penalty at Old Trafford
There are unbelievable statistics when Man City has just been awarded a penalty for the first time after 27 matches at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Haaland continues to be Man Utd's nemesis when participating in 8 goals (scoring 5 goals, 3 assists) since coming to Man City last season.
Source
Comment (0)