Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has given his verdict on a potential missed penalty during Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. A horror mistake from Altay Bayindir allowed Riccardo Calafiori to nod home from close range to cost Ruben Amorim's much-improved Red Devils.
While Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to make his debut, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were named in the starting XI as part of a new-look attack at Old Trafford, with the Brazilian impressing in particular. However, fans believed that the former Wolves man was wrongfully denied a late penalty, with Hackett now giving his view on the controversy.
Hackett Responds to United Penalty Claim
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With the hosts piling on the pressure in the dying embers of the contest in search of an equaliser, Cunha attempted to control a pass into him inside the six-yard box, with Arsenal defender William Saliba coming in to make a challenge from behind.
United fans online argued that the Frenchman made no contact with the ball and instead took out the number 10's leg, with slow-motion footage being used to further support their case. However, Hackett believed that the correct decision was made and argued that the playmaker may have been looking for the contact.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett stated:
"There is no doubt that the defender made contact with Cunha. The problem here is that the player is already falling down backwards and was searching for a penalty kick.
"The referee is spot on. VAR isn’t going to get involved because it’s not a clear and obvious error. Players often exaggerate their fall when a foul has taken place, and that exaggeration often makes the referee not give it. Saliba has made a genuine attempt for the ball, and Cunha is already on his way down. He’s not even facing the goal – why? There are lots of questions to be asked here. As a fan, I can understand why Man United wanted a penalty."
Interestingly, former Arsenal youth striker Jay Bothroyd, who has also admitted to being a Gunners fan in the past, argued on Sky Sports' 'Ref Watch' that United deserved a penalty despite ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher's assertion of the opposite view.
It wasn't Hackett's only big call of the weekend either, as he also argued that Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi should've been sent off against Liverpool despite VAR clearing him during the game.