Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has given his verdict on the crucial calls made in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham on their return on Friday evening.
United were rewarded two penalties by referee Jon Moss in the game, but one was overturned after being reviewed by VAR.
Gallagher agrees with Moss on both key calls, despite some claims that penalty that brought Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser should never have been given.
Paul Pogba, who changed the game after his introduction with half an hour to play, was shoved in the box by Spurs centre-back Eric Dier while dribbling into a dangerous area with around ten minutes left on the clock.
Moss had no hesitation in making the decision to award the pen, and Gallagher has explained exactly why the decision was made straight forward for the man with the whistle.
He told Sky Sports:
“Correct decision. No debate for me. If you look, he pushes him with his right arm, and there is quite a significant amount of force. There was no need to do it as there was another player covering, but once he did that, he gave Jon Moss no option. It’s a spot-on decision.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side then appeared to have been given an opportunity to secure a dramatic victory late on at the new White Heart Lane when Dier was deemed to have felled Fernandes by stepping on his foot.
Unfortunately, the decision was soon cleared up by the VAR, with Moss making the wrong decision after it transpired that no contact had actually been made.
Here’s what Gallagher told Sky Sports about the incident:
“Correct decision. I think this is the perfect process of what the VAR is there for. When I first saw it, I actually thought he’d stood on his foot. When you inspect it as VAR does, you see that Dier places his foot in the turf and Fernandes actually spins off him. I can understand why the ref gave it, but the VAR has done wonderfully well and it’s not a penalty.”
United take on Sheffield United on Wednesday evening in their first competitive game at Old Trafford since the derby victory in March.
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