Manchester United won the 13th penalty of the season against Aston Villa – equaling the record for free kicks awarded in a single Premier League campaign – but should it have been overturned?
Bruno Fernandes took the penalty home 27 minutes after it was deemed a foul by Ezri Konsa.
United reached the level with the Crystal Palace team in 2004/05 and the Leicester City title winning team in 2015/16 as the only teams to have been awarded 13 penalties in one season.
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It means that with four games left for United in the 2019/20 season, I’m just shy about breaking the record.
But were they lucky enough to join the 13 club? The attribution of the penalty was controversial, with replays showing that Fernandes actually made contact with Konsa as the couple met right inside the area. The United midfielder turned around with the ball and ended up clashing with the Villa defender, catching Konsa at the ankle in the process.
The incident was investigated by VAR but was not considered a clear and obvious mistake.
Villa went on to lose the game 3-0 as their relegation fears continued. Chief Dean Smith blew up VAR officials, calling the “misfortune” the decision not to overturn the penalty.
“Everything has changed about the penalty decision,” said Smith.
“I can understand that Jon Moss was wrong, but this goes to VAR, I don’t know what they are looking at. It is a shameful decision. I can’t really tell you what I think as I get fined. It is a wrong decision. They have a screen they can watch on but they don’t seem to be bothered now.
“Anyone who has been in football knows that Fernandes is trying to step back. His first foot is on the ball and the second is on Konsa’s shin.
“I thought he would have done a foul the other way.”
Agree with the first bit, but don’t forget that VAR is just a replica of an accident! An officer looked at it again and still gave it !!!! https://t.co/drenpc6Ndn
– Jamie Carragher (@ Carra23) July 9, 2020
However, UK boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer disagreed.
He said: “I think it’s a penalty. If you try to face me, I try to jump on you and land on you, I think it’s a foul. The boy [Konsa] pulls out one leg and Fernandes makes a fantastic pyridette Zidane or Maradona and lands on him. “
It sparked a debate in the Sky Sports study with experts Roy Keane and Patrice Evra who offer some sympathy to Villa for the decision not to be canceled by VAR.
Evra said: “In my opinion, it’s not a penalty. The defender is a little awkward but it shouldn’t be a penalty. “
Keane added: “I don’t think it’s a penalty, but I can understand why the referee gave it. It’s tough, but sometimes you have to be punished for being clumsy – it was a clumsy challenge. It is an intelligent game by Fernandes. “
This story originally appeared on Sky Sports and is reproduced with permission.
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