United: 'It was not a foul', De Zerbi: 'There is a God!'
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 05.05.23. | 10:25
Luke Shaw and Ten Hag didn't like the referee's decision prior to the winning goal
Another game, another mess for Manchester United. The Red Devils had a chance to use their game in hand and come back to the fourth spot in the Premier League, but they failed to beat Brighton for the second time in 10 days (it was 0-0 after 90 minutes in the FA Cup) and now are in an uneasy situation where Liverpool and Brighton are dangerously close on the table. The good news for coach Erik ten Hag is that the remaining schedule is more than favorable for Manchester, as they face teams from the lower part of the Premier League (Bournemouth, Wolves, West Ham), since they are obviously not capable of beating the upper echelon of the league. With last night’s loss, Manchester United have now taken just one point from their away matches against the top nine sides in the league this season.
Manchester United have taken just one point from their away matches against the top nine sides in the league this season.
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) May 4, 2023
❌ 4-0 vs Brentford
❌ 6-3 vs Man City
❌ 3-1 vs Aston Villa
❌ 3-2 vs Arsenal
❌ 7-0 vs Liverpool
❌ 2-0 vs Newcastle
🤝 2-2 vs Spurs
❌ 1-0 Brighton pic.twitter.com/D6jPIgSBft
The game set to end in another goalless draw, but Luke Shaw handballed deep in injury time and Brighton converted from penalty for the win. And now, United’s defender tried to cover up his blunder by claiming that a foul prior to the corner, which led to the penalty never existed.
“Before the corner the free kick was never a foul. I am not looking for excuses, but it shouldn't have been a foul that led to the corner. So maybe that corner shouldn't have even happened” he said to Sky Sports. He was supported from his manager, who added: “There were so many bad tackles tonight, but that, a fair block, gets a whistle”.
Obviously, United’s players have a short memory, since in this occasion, the foul was maybe rightly called (or not), but there were at least two bluntly decisions which went United’s way: the offside goal in the derby against City and the Bruno Fernandes referee showing (Mitrović from Fulham got an eight game suspension, Bruno none). And for Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi, this kind of win proves there is justice in football.
“There is a God of football. We deserved to win the semi-final but lost on penalties. Today we won with a penalty. In both games we played better than United. The last result was unfair” said the Italian.
