Penalty at Old Trafford, again, but this one – well, two of them, in fact – did not go in Manchester United’s favour.
Trailing 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener, United found themselves 2-0 down in the 74th minute after a series of controversial events which Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville called “an absolute disgrace”.
First came the incident which led to the initial penalty, with Jordan Ayew’s flick-shot catching the hand of Victor Lindelof at point-blank range.
It was initially missed by referee Martin Atkinson, but after a word with VAR the official headed to the pitch-side monitor to watch replay after replay before pointing to the spot.
“He was a metre away,” Neville said on commentary. “That’s an absolute nonsense that that’s a penalty. There’s one of these every season… a new rule or interpretation of a rule. This will change in a couple of weeks. If you’re a defender and that is given against you… just no way.”
Like Neville, United too were perplexed, but disbelief soon turned to joy when Ayew casually strolled up and saw his low penalty saved by David de Gea.
But that elation did not last long. It was a bolt from the blue, but moreso a blow of Atkinson’s whistle, that had Solskjaer and his substitutes off their seats with hands on heads after it was deemed the penalty would have to be retaken after De Gea came off his line… barely.
“That is an absolute disgrace. We are talking millimetres. This is unbelievable,” Neville added.
???? The correct decision? This was the handball that handed #CPFC a penalty against #MUFC.
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Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/LFNPPc8v3I— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 19, 2020
And so second time around it was Wilfried Zaha who stepped up this time and made no mistake with a terrific spot-kick which left De Gea no chance.
The controversial incident appeared to spark United into life, with Donny van de Beek coming off the bench to score a debut goal to make it 2-1, but Palace then extend their lead through Zaha in the dying minutes.
Already playing catch-up having been granted an extra break following their Europa League exploits, it proved to be the worst-possible start for United – one that could leave them six points behind either Liverpool or Chelsea come Sunday evening.
One team they are already six points behind are Saturday’s opponents Palace. The Eagles are soaring, and deserve credit for smelling blood and pouncing on a lacklustre United side.
If survival is the name of the game for Roy Hodgson’s men then two wins from their first two will go some way towards avoiding a relegation battle come the new year. Talking numbers, they are 15 per cent towards the 40-point mark after just five per cent of their matches, but on this evidence – especially if Zaha stays – then a top-10 finish may not be out of the question.
Penalty fallout continues after full-time
Neville’s colleagues were equally as baffled in the studio, with Graeme Sounness and Patrice Evra bemoaning the handball rules.
“I don’t think that was a penalty,” Souness said. “But we have to accept, that’s the new (handball) rule. It’s harsh. And if you canvassed the majority of professional players, they would not want penalties given for that.
“Would the referee have given the penalty if there were 70,000 fans inside Old Trafford?”
Evra added: “It was absolutely not a penalty. I have had enough of VAR. I’m so happy I’ve retired. They’re following the rules – but they’re killing the game.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/32MmZpU
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