Manchester United look set to make it five seasons without a trophy after a humiliating penalty shoot-out defeat to Championship outfit Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Friday night. However, their exit from the FA Cup isn’t without controversy.
Jadon Sancho managed to spare Cristiano Ronaldo’s blushes as he opened the scoring after the Portuguese legend missed an earlier penalty.
Will Manchester United lift any silverware this season?
Yes
No
Matt Crooks levelled the tie after turning home Duncan Watmore’s squared ball into what was pretty much an open goal. The ball struck Watmore on the hand before the assisted pass, but VAR allowed the goal to stand.
The game had no more goals and the visitors finally clinched the tie on sudden death penalties 8-7 after Anthony Elanga’s skied penalty saw his side crash out.
Craig Burley was fuming with the decision, exploding on ESPN (1:16) after the game as he said: “It is a nonsense and I’ll tell you why. There will be people who watch the games and watch this show and debate all these decisions will say it’s not intentional. Trust me, you watch all the decisions over any league over a weekend, most of the handballs that are given aren’t intentional.
“How many handballs do you see with someone pushing it forward? Maybe one or two. When a defender is defending a cross and he does this [holds arms out] he’s not intentionally trying to handle the ball, he’s just made his arm bigger. If the ball then strikes his arm and his arm is out there a penalty is given, because he’s unnaturally made his arm bigger. He hasn’t intentionally tried to play the ball so it’s convoluted in the way it’s written [the handball law].”
TIF thoughts on the goal and United…
As frustrating as it will be for United fans, the handball was deemed unintentional as it bounced up off part of Watmore’s body. Therefore, if you follow the laws of the game, it was the correct decision. VAR is often criticised, but it wasn’t to blame at Old Trafford – it’s the law which should be the subject of the fans’ ire.
|
|
The result is worrying for United. The league title looks long gone for the Red Devils, with a Champions League triumph also seeming unlikely. Should they fail to pick up any silverware this season, that will be five years in a row with nothing to celebrate, a sorry decline from the all-conquering Sir Alex Ferguson era.
While fans may blame the decisions by officials, the bottom line is that if you don’t take your chances, you’ll get punished. That was the case for United, who were simply not good enough on the night and Chris Wilder’s Championship side punished them at Old Trafford.
In other news, A big update has emerged regarding an Old Trafford legend