Recently, the Manchester derby has a clear favorite, and it was no different in Sunday’s match of the 27th round of the Premier League, in which City beat the rival 3:1. In addition to the complete dominance of Pep Guardiola’s men (53), however, the contradictory intervention of goalkeeper Ederson (30) on Alejandro Garnach (19) in the home goal was also interesting. A possible penalty 12 minutes before the end could have completely changed the sequence of events.
It was the 78th minute of the match when United’s winger Garnacho got into a rare counterattack. He pre-kicked the ball into the big box and the home goalkeeper Ederson rushed against him. At first glance, a hard clash and, for many, a risky intervention by the Brazilian goalkeeper had to be examined by the VAR system.
It was clear from the slow-motion footage that the City goalkeeper hit the ball first, but in a few tenths of a second he shot down the visiting attacker with a slide. Anyway, referee Andy Madley got a clear answer into his headphones: “Keep playing, clean save from the keeper.”
Should this have been a penalty? Garnacho vs Man City#MCIMUN #ManchesterCity #ManchesterUnited #ManCity pic.twitter.com/8G80fsjHI4
— Sports channel (@SportsCN2) March 4, 2024
At that point it was 1-1 and if a penalty had been taken, United could have taken the lead. Instead, they conceded two minutes later after Phil Foden’s shot. In the end, Citizens increased the score to 3:1.
Ridicule instead of regret
United did not protest, they respected the verdict despite the key moment of the match. And coach Erik ten Hag pulled Garnach off the field shortly after the goal to make it 1:2. He then coincidentally caught mockery on social networks. While the video of the controversial clash with Ederson disappeared from the official channels, the reaction of the Argentinian forward picking his nose after being substituted began to circulate…
We need a VAR check on this Garnacho video
— Tweet (@arsenaltweeta) March 4, 2024
However, greater emotions could not be expected from United after the match. Despite the controversial moment, it was clear to everyone that the derby was a definite affair. “It’s hard for me to be hard on United today, because the Citizens were simply great. They showed why they are champions,” Roy Keane, former captain of the Old Trafford team, assessed for Sky Sports.
He also commented on the fact that in the last six years of the Premier League, the Sky Blues have always had the upper hand in their clashes. “That’s a scary statistic and you can see that City can always punish the shortcomings. Nobody really knows where the current United team is going. Then when the going gets tough, you’re just watching a man-on-boy game and at the end you think the Citizens could have four or five goals. There are a lot of question marks over this United team and unfortunately it has to do with the manager’s job,” added Keane.
They really give him some telling match stats. Even though United were in the lead for more than half of the game, they hardly ever left their own half of the pitch. City players decided to shoot twenty-seven times compared to United’s three attempts. They then had only 27% possession.
Match statistics. (©Opta by Stats Perform)
Perhaps only Ten Hag saw the duel a little differently. “We currently have a lot of problems with injuries and yet we had chances. Small things made the difference, we could have scored the second goal, so you can see that the difference is not that big,” he defended his team’s performance at the press conference.
“When we are complete, we can be really competitive and we also showed it, for example, in the FA Cup final against City (the United team had a higher xG despite the 1:2 loss, editor’s note). But also don’t forget that City is in the best team in the world right now,” added the Hag.
The end of one of Manchester United’s great series is perhaps unbelievable – after a long 143 games, the Red Devils lost the game in which they were leading at halftime.
What exactly is a foul?
Penalty-non-penalty on Garnacha is therefore already a forgotten matter, if it is not played at all. In any case, at least among football fans and experts, it is decided when the whistle should actually be blown. “Such intensity and at the same time insufficient control of movement would mean a foul and at least a yellow card anywhere on the pitch,” says the editor of the British podcast profile 90min Rob Blanchette.
“I’m sorry United fans are going to cry all the time about Ederson’s clash with Garnach yesterday. But it was one of the most perfectly timed tackles you’re likely to see in football. And if you don’t agree, go watch a non-contact sport,” Sam Hunty responded , who ranks among the supporters of West Ham.
Photo stills are not always useful in explaining a high-speed tackle, but the way Ederson wipes out Garnacho after getting the ball could easily have ended in a broken leg or ankle. It’s a foul according to the rulebook. #MCIMUN pic.twitter.com/Y0s4ChpzYK
— Rob Blanchette (@_Rob_B) March 4, 2024
The moment from the 78th minute can remotely affect Thursday’s EL match between Sparta and Liverpool. It is at Anfield Road that Manchester City is heading in the next league round, the direct fight for the top of the table will take place just three days after the opening round of 16 of the Europa League.
The Premier League’s top two teams are currently separated by a single point. It can therefore be assumed that Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp will spare the mainstays for the clash with City, and who knows whether stars Mohamed Salah or Darwin Núñez will even arrive at Letná. Manchester City have a home Champions League return leg against Copenhagen on Wednesday, in which the mainstays may also be rested. The favorite won the first match 3:1.
The article was originally published for Livesport Zprávy.
2024-03-04 21:19:02
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