Manchester United conceded a VERY controversial penalty against Real Sociedad in the Europa League this evening.
Tonight’s game was only allowed to go ahead as the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing was deemed too close to kick-off for a postponement.
Manchester United will have been left wishing that the game was canned because they’ve fallen a goal down… albeit in VERY controversial circumstances.
After a strike toward David de Gea’s goal, Man United centre-back Lisandro Martinez, as he often does, threw himself in the way of the travelling ball.
The referee pointed to the spot, deeming that the ball struck his arm, which it did, but only having bounced off of his body before doing so.
By the letter of the law, this kind of double-deflection should have seen VAR overturn the decision, but yet, the penalty was upheld by VAR.
Real Sociedad converted the penalty, meaning that Man United now trail in seriously controversial circumstances…
Pictures courtesy of UEFA
Saw someone almost the same in the premiership at the weekend, only I think it hit the defenders arm directly. Now although the law would state that it wasn’t intentional bc it came off his leg, defenders do throw themselves like that towards the ball so that they can block it and think that even if it hits their arm, the decision will go their way because their arm is in a natural position having dived like that in mid air to try and block the ball, but referees have cottoned onto this and this is why the ref gave a penalty and so it serves Martinez right for cheating. The law now should be changed
Not a Man U fan but IMO that’s what defenders should do, put their body on the line by blocking the shot. With his back turned and the ball deflecting off his leg onto his elbow, how can that be a penalty, ridiculous!
Again i reiterate the defender like some before him, deliberately throw themselves into the air like that, so that if the ball hits their arm, they can say that their arm was in a natural position, but of course most law abiding players who haven’t got an agenda, would merely stand up straight with their arms by their sides to avoid the ball hitting it, so the fact that he’s throwing himself up so he’s in midair instead, as I’ve stated above, means that if the ball hits his arm, he can say the arm was in a natural position. He himself throwing himself up like that isn’t natural, so there’s an agenda to stop the ball using any part of his body, including his arm/hand and trying to get away with it. The referee was wise to it and rightly gave the penalty