VAR has been in the headlines a lot recently, unfortunately for the wrong reasons.
The decision to rule out West Ham’s equaliser against Chelsea was absolutely ridiculous, and again at Old Trafford yesterday, I predicted that a VAR decision would go against us…
I can’t help that the terrible VAR decisions yesterday are a prelude to another terrible decision which will happen at Old Trafford…#MUNARS
— Mikel (@afc4life_uk) September 4, 2022
In the 13th minute, Odegaard dispossessed Christian Eriksen on the halfway line, Arsenal broke at speed and then Martinelli scored a fantastic goal.
Bruno Fernandes moaned like a little girl (like he usually does) and the referee took a look at VAR.
And we all know what happened next.
Paul Tierney went over to the monitor, “reviewed” the incident and then ruled the goal out for a foul on Eriksen.
Are you kidding me?
Before any Manchester United fans come at me, yes, there was contact. But is football a non-contact sport now?! The decision was absolutely ridiculous and I defy anyone to argue that Eriksen didn’t go down easily – and if you look at the footage closely, he actually starts to fall before Odegaard’s knee connects with him.
The decision was ludicrous, and it completely changed the game.
With Arsenal in the lead, Manchester United wouldn’t have been able to sit back and get us on the counter attack. You can say whatever you want about Arteta’s tactics and how the team was setup, but the first goal always shapes how the game goes and I have no doubt with United having to open up, we would have gone on to score 2 or even 3 goals and win that game.
Small decisions make big impacts and the referees and VAR need to get their act together because the spirit of the game is being ruined.
But did you think Arsenal’s goal should have stood? Cast your vote below and leave your thoughts in the comments section!