The Premier League officials have explained the penalty controversy which has occurred during Manchester United’s clash against Burnley.
Manchester United claimed their first win of the season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Burnley at Old Trafford.
The hosts took the lead in the first half when Burnley midfielder Josh Cullen inadvertently turned the ball into his own net.
Burnley equalised early in the second half, but United hit back immediately through Bryan Mbeumo, who scored his first goal at Old Trafford to restore the advantage.
The visitors levelled again, and frustration loomed for Ruben Amorim’s side, until Amad won a stoppage-time penalty. Bruno Fernandes stepped up and calmly slotted it home to secure a vital three points for United.
Premier League release statement on United penalty controversy vs Burnley
United’s dominant first-half included some fine pressing, and one instance saw Mason Mount block a clearance from Kyle Walker.
The ball bounced towards the Burnley box and Mount got goal-side of the ex-Manchester City defender and they began wrestling each other.
Mount was fouled as he entered the box and Sam Barrott pointed to the penalty spot.
A lengthy VAR call interrupted things, however, and Stuart Attwell told his colleague to check the on-field monitor and disallow the goal.
The Premier League referee confirmed the reasoning for his decision on the pitch afterwards, stating: “After review, Burnley number two does not commit a foul on Man United number seven. My final decision is no penalty and drop ball to the goalkeeper.”
Commentators suggested that Mount was pulling Walker’s shirt during their encounter, which is probably the reason for the VAR intervention.
Standards dropping further for Premier League referees
Referees in the Premier League were extremely poor last season and have somehow managed to find an even lower level for the beginning of this campaign.
Last week, United benefited from a questionable VAR decision when they were awarded a penalty and these have only been a couple of the bad decisions from officials so far.
Mount was clearly being fouled by Walker but the VAR managed to slow down the incident so much to find an excuse to disallow the penalty. It was either a free-kick or spot-kick and neither were eventually given.
United will not always be on the receiving end of these calls but it is beginning to get frustrating seeing their mistakes be constant talking points every week.
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