- Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was lucky not to concede a penalty against Arsenal, thanks to a little-known rule
- Maguire blocked Mikel Merino’s shot with his hand, but neither the centre referee nor the VAR awarded a spot-kick
- The game at the Emirates ended 3-2 in favour of Michael Carrick’s men to put a dent in Arsenal’s first title hopes since 2004
Arsenal fans were left fuming after they were denied what they thought was a clear penalty during their game against Manchester United.
Source: UGC
The Gunners fell to their first home defeat of the season after a rejuvenated United came from behind to win the game 3-2 in a thrilling encounter.
How Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-2
Lisandro Martinez’s own goal broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, but Bryan Mbeumo restored parity seven minutes later by capitalising on an error from Martin Zubimendi.
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Patrick Dorgu scored a goal of the season contender after the break to fire United ahead, before Mikel Merino scored six minutes from time to give Arsenal hope of a late comeback. Those hopes were thwarted when Matheus Cunha scored United’s third and the game’s winning goal.
The game would have ended differently had Arsenal been awarded a penalty after a handball from Harry Maguire in the 73rd minute.
Maguire blocked Merino’s shot, with replays showing that the ball clearly struck his hand. Arsenal’s assistant coaches were furious on the bench, with fans online also asking why the penalty wasn’t given.
Arsenal Video asked,
“Clear handball from Maguire, but no penalty. His hand even caused the ball to bounce off the pitch. How can it not be a handball?”
Gede Football said,
“The rules have to be clearly explained. How is that Maguire handball not a penalty? We’re back to the same problem — football keeps evolving, but the officiating isn’t rising to the standards of the modern game.”
While Coopdeville said,
“HANDBALL. Any talk about the player bracing himself is nonsense. This is a clear goal scoring chance denied by Maguire’s hand.”
Why Harry Maguire wasn’t penalised vs Manchester United
So, why didn’t the VAR intervene and award the hosts a penalty? According to the laws of the game, it is not a handball offence if the player handles the ball with his supporting arm. From the replays, Maguire was on his way down, and the hand was out to break his fall.
“A handball is generally not an offence if the ball touches a player’s hand/arm directly from their own body or if it is a “supporting arm” (placed on the ground for balance/support during sliding or falling).”
Merino equalised soon after, but Cunha scored three minutes from time to win the game for Manchester United.
Source: Twitter
Why Matheus Cunha faces ban
Cunha could, however, be in trouble with the Football Association after an incident was captured by cameras during his goal celebrations.
The Brazilian swore at the camera, forcing Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury to apologise.
Using offensive language is a sending-off offence.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
