Ten Hag: 'Man Utd should have been penalized'
In the 27th minute when the score was 0-0, Alejandro Garnacho shot from the edge of the penalty area and hit the hand of midfielder Cristian Romero. Romero's hand then swung out and was not close to his body, blocking the way the ball could go towards the goal. Referee Michael Oliver did not blow the whistle, but he paused the game for a moment to allow VAR Craig Pawson to review the situation. Mr. Pawson did not ask Oliver to review the situation, so the game continued without a penalty, although Garnacho did not accept this.
According to the football rules of the 2023-2024 season, a player will be considered to use his hands to play the ball if the position of the hands causes the body to enlarge unnaturally, and is not suitable for body movements. Romero's hand to touch the ball is his right hand, then at the back of his body he moves to the right to touch the ball.
After the match, coach Ten Hag and captain Bruno Fernandes both objected to the referee's decision. "We should have awarded the penalty, because Romero changed the direction of the ball with his hand," said Ten Hag.
In the first round against Wolverhampton, Man Utd escaped a penalty after goalkeeper Andre Onana was said to have fouled the opponent. After that game, coach Gary O'Neil revealed that referee Jon Moss had apologized to him because Wolves were not awarded a penalty. The referees controlling this match were also suspended in the second round.
Fernandes repeated that incident to talk about the situation in the Tottenham match. "Obviously Man Utd must be awarded a penalty," said the Portuguese midfielder after the match on August 19. "The referees should have also attended the post-match interview to explain the decisions on the pitch. I don't know if they will raise the issue after this game like the last game. I don't know if Mr. Jon Moss came into the room. Change Man Utd apologize again."
In addition to this situation, the referee was also controversial when he did not blow Man Utd's penalty when midfielder Lisandro Martinez impacted Romero to fall in the penalty area. Mr. Oliver also gave VAR time, but they did not send the referee to the touchline to review the situation.
Man Utd lost 0-2 in this match, when Tottenham won for the first time in the English Premier League from 2023-2024. In the third round, Man Utd returned to Old Trafford to receive Nottingham Forest next weekend.
