Manchester United lost 3-1 against Brentford on Saturday afternoon but there were strong claims that the Bees should have had a man sent off in the second half.
After last week’s win over Chelsea, Manchester United made a poor start against Brentford, falling 2-0 behind within the opening 20 minutes.
Ruben Amorim’s side were punished for their early mistakes, but they began to settle once Benjamin Šeško pulled a goal back for the Reds midway through the first half.
Heading into the second period, there was a lack of urgency from the visitors but they were awarded a penalty after 70 minutes as Bryan Mbeumo was pulled down inside the box by his former teammate Nathan Collins.
While it was a clear penalty, there were major questions over whether Collins should have also seen red as he made no attempt to play the ball. VAR checked for a red card but decided against sending Craig Pawson to the monitor.
Bruno Fernandes ultimately saw his spot-kick saved after a five-minute wait and United conceded a third goal in the final moments of the game.
Premier League release statement on United red card controversy vs Brentford
United did not deserve anything from that game but once again the Premier League officials were in the spotlight and made a questionable call.
The Premier League’s Match Centre X account posted a statement on the VAR call to decide against sending Collins off, and claimed that the decision was made as Mbeumo ‘was not in control of the ball’.
“The referee’s call of penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Collins deemed to pulled Mbeumo back. VAR also checked the referee’s call of yellow card to Collins – and deemed that Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball,” they wrote.
That makes very little sense, as Mbeumo would have had a clear shot at goal if Collins had not pulled his shirt. The decision was described as an ‘atrocious’ one from the officials.
Collins addresses red card claim
Collins was asked whether he was grateful to stay on the pitch after the game and he said: “I knew [I wouldn’t be sent off]. Tactical…”
Unfortunately, Collins isn’t even speaking about the rulebook here. He probably knows the incompetence of the officials.
From United’s side, it is frustrating because you do not want to complain about things when the team is playing so poorly. It would have been unjust if United came out of that game with a win.
But it just feels ridiculous that, at the top level of the sport, you are waiting around for several minutes just so the officials can come to the wrong decision. It’s not good for players, and it’s not good for fans.
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