Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has weighed in on Manchester United’s penalty shouts from Saturday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Red Devils felt hard done by following the game, though their performance across the evening was still second best to the home side.
Spurs earned their first win under new boss Ange Postecoglou, consequently ending United’s unbeaten streak at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Similarly to Monday, the talking points from the match were the referee’s involvement – or lack thereof. United believed they should’ve been awarded a spot-kick in the first half when Alejandro Garnacho’s strike appeared to hit Cristian Romero’s raised arm, however, the incident was overlooked by Michael Oliver.
Erik ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes voiced their frustrations post-match, with the latter going as far as demanding an apology from the officials.
Former ref reacts
The decision was discussed on Sky Sports News today and Gallagher shared his take on the controversial matter, saying: “100 per cent no [United will not get an apology] because the feeling is that he was so close. We talked last week about handball, I think handball is very, very difficult. The more you drill down into it, they get it right, the more it causes you problems.
“I think one of the problems there is that the arm is out, is it an expected position? Is it above the shoulder? You can ask all [of] them questions. Has the ball come too fast? That’s what they felt – it’s too close. And that was the decision they arose at.”
✅ Correct decision
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher agrees with the decision not to award Manchester United a penalty against Tottenham for a handball by Cristian Romero. 👀 pic.twitter.com/S0TdK2jWC5
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 21, 2023
Footage courtesy of Football Daily.
