Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United punished by FA after players surrounded referee during Brighton victory
According to the Express, Manchester United have been fined by the English Football Association (FA) after their players surrounded the referee to make their arguments about sending off Brighton & Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk.
The victory against Brighton was a massive relief for United fans, as the Red Devils finally put behind their run of successive 1-1 draws to notch up a 2-0 victory at home to pick up three very important points in the Premier League.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes ensured that the club stood a chance to make the top four in the league table by the end of the season, with the side chasing Champions League football next term.
The match had a turning point in the second half after Dunk chopped down Anthony Elanga as the teenager was running through on goal after the Brighton man was caught on the ball. The United players immediately rushed to referee Peter Bankes to lobby for a red card and were successful in their attempts.
“Don’t blame them”
Now, it is confirmed that the FA have looked into this incident and have fined United a sum of £20,000 for surrounding the referee for a red card. The club accepted the fine after the FA dished it out on Tuesday.
Although the Old Trafford side accepted that they “failed to ensure players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion”, Brighton manager Graham Potter reacted after the game ended and said that the United players were not at fault.
“I don’t blame them. I’m not being critical, it is what it is. You expect that reaction – they have got to do their bit for their team.”
Although the club accepted the fine, there can be no questioning whether the red card was fair or not. The referee initially only gave a yellow card for the tackle by Dunk, but a closer look at the VAR monitor made it clear that it was a clear red card offence by the Brighton defender.
The Manchester club took advantage of being a man up, as they built on their first-half goal and finally killed off the game in the end after Fernandes was put through on goal by Paul Pogba, and the midfielder finished it off in style.
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Despite a steep amount set by the FA, United may probably not take this incident too seriously as they instead look at the bright side about collecting three points at home. The win against Brighton was followed by a victory away against Leeds United, as the Red Devils look to start a winning run in the league.
They will hope that the platform set up after the victory against Brighton will continue into the Champions League as well, as they face Atletico Madrid away later tonight in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie. Hopefully, the ref has a good game and our players don’t cost the club another five-figure payment courtesy of appealing another dubious call!
