In the euphoria of Manchester United’s win against Liverpool and the episode made by Arne Slot about Alexis MacAllister’s head injury, a crucial incident involving Amad went under the radar.
Arne Slot went on a full rant about how Liverpool are not ones to bluff the referees by pretending to go down with a head injury, which is why the game should have stopped before Man Utd scored the opener.
There has been endless discussion about the same, but in the process, a handball incident involving Amad, that could have had an even bigger ramification on the game, passed unnoticed.
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Former referee Mark Clattenburg has now given his verdict on the penalty that never was, and why Amad ‘winded him up’.
Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League
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Mark Clattenburg on Amad penalty handball incident
In the 18th minute of the game with Man Utd trying their hardest to protect their one-goal advantage, Cody Gakpo found himself on the left wing.
Facing him was Amad in his right wing-back role, a brave call by Ruben Amorim, one that was tested many times during the clash.
Gakpo tried to cross the ball into the middle but Amad, jumping with one leg, caught the ball flush on his arm, which was close to his body in a natural position.
Understandably, the referee waved away Liverpool players’ pleas for a penalty, while Amad immediately signalled after that the ball had struck his chest.
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Clattenburg, speaking on Beyond The Back Four podcast, said that he agreed with the referee’s decision, but Amad’s dishonesty ‘winds me up’.
He said: “I never thought it was at the time, and I’ve watched it many times again. The arms are in a natural position.
“What he tries to do, he tries to tell the referee it’s hit his chest. That winds me up. It didn’t hit his chest, it hit his arm, but he’s turning away and his arms were quite close to his body.
“What we’ve got to understand in the Premier League is they seem to have a higher threshold for handballs. Love it or hate it we are getting less and less handballs when the ball strikes the arm, and I’m quite happy with that.”
The footballing gods smiled upon Man Utd against Liverpool
The whole story of the season so far for Man Utd, until the Liverpool game, was how they had played well but the results didn’t reflect the reality of their performances.
Be it the game against Arsenal, which Amorim never fails to bring up, or the missed chances against Fulham or Grimsby, United have been unlucky many times this season.
Against Liverpool, they cashed in all their luck with a performance which fully merited it.
They were brave, played the game on their terms, forced Liverpool into poor decisions and sent panic permeating through Anfield.
This Amad decision was a microcosm of Liverpool’s desperation on the day, where they clung onto straws of hope that no dominating team does.
From Liverpool striking the post multiple times to United finally getting on the right end of referee decisions, Amorim’s luck finally came home to roost.
He couldn’t have picked a better game for it to happen.