Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is understandably miffed by the refereeing decisions against Copenhagen
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag left fuming over the referee’s decisions after the difficult loss against FC Copenhagen.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag blamed the referee’s decision to allow two goals in a 4-3 loss against Copenhagen. United are now fourth in the Champions League Group A table after their third loss in the competition.
The Red Devils started the game strongly and took a two-goal lead before the half an hour. Ex-Copenhagen Academy forward Rasmus Hojlund scored two tap-ins to give Ten Hag’s men a strong lead.
However, things changed for the worse when Marcus Rashford received the red card for a reckless stomp on Elias Jerelt.
Many experts have criticized the decision as Rashford shielded the ball but took a massive step into Jerelt’s ankle unintentionally. The Danish club immediately fought back and scored two goals before halftime.
Nevertheless, United started the second half as the better team and earned a goal from Bruno Fernandes’ penalty. The Red Devils failed to defend the lead once again as Copenhagen scored two late goals to win the game.
In an interview with TNT Sports (h/t BBC), Ten Hag insisted that the referee should have disallowed the two goals from Copenhagen. He said:
“We concede two goals that shouldn’t count. It is disappointing. Not only tonight. We have to deal with many decisions against us in other games. That’s how it is. But the season is long. At one point it will turn in our favour. The two goals should not count. The first is offside, there is a player in front of Onana. The second, what can you do about that?”
United have some justifiable grievances against the officiating during the game but it’s a common agreement that goals were legal.
However, the conduct of the VAR review for the red card decision warrants scrutiny. The VAR team gave the on-field referee a view of the contact rather than the whole sequence which created bias.
More Manchester United News
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- Rasmus Hojlund says Manchester United played well if you ‘don’t look at the result’ and ‘focus on the first 20 minutes’
The Red Devils have lost nine out of 17 games in all competitions as their dreadful season keeps getting worse. Ten Hag is facing incredible pressure to rectify the vulnerability within the team and achieve the minimum expectations.
United need to get their act together and challenge for the top four places in the Premier League. The Red Devils will travel to Luton Town next with something to prove.
