Photo by Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel has admitted that Manchester United wrongly had a goal overruled earlier this month, which consequently cost the Red Devils an opportunity to secure three points at Turf Moor.
Manchester United have missed several opportunities to climb up the table this season, with December being a challenging month for the team as they failed to take maximum points from several winnable games.
United drew with West Ham, Bournemouth, Wolves, Leeds and Burnley between December and January – and it’s difficult not to think about where United would be in the standings had they won two or three of those matches.
Amad and Bryan Mbeumo celebrate
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
Some of those results also led to Ruben Amorim’s dismissal, with the Portuguese coach given his marching orders on January 5, less than 24 hours after United drew 1-1 with Leeds.
A new update from the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents panel suggests the team – as well as former head coach Amorim – have every right to feel hard done by about United’s 2-2 draw with Burnley.
Lisandro Martinez
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Lisandro Martinez goal against Burnley should have stood
United fans were disappointed when Darren Fletcher’s first match as caretaker manager ended in a draw, after Ayden Heaven’s own goal gifted the hosts a lead.
Benjamin Sesko completed a brace in the second half, but Jaidon Anthony made it 2-2 before the end.
However, United trailed 1-0 in the 27th minute when Martinez thought he had levelled the scoring from a corner. The referee blew for a foul by the World Cup winner on Kyle Walker which happened a few seconds before the ball crossed the line.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel voted 3-2 that it was not a foul and it should have been a goal on-field.
However, the KMI panel supported the decision of VAR official Craig Pawson not to intervene and give the goal.
Mark Clattenburg comments on Lisandro Martinez's disallowed goal vs Burnley.
Credit: Getty Images.
The panel felt that “the contact was exaggerated by Walker and the decision to disallow the goal for a foul was incorrect,” as per BBC Sport.
It added: “The decision not to intervene by VAR was split but supported on the basis it wasn’t a clear and obvious error.”
Man Utd would be in top four if Lisandro Martinez’s goal stood
United are currently fifth with 35 points, but a win over Burnley would see the Red Devils with two more points.
That would have been enough to lift United into the top four, leapfrogging Liverpool with 36 points.
United will make ground the teams above them if they can get a run of wins together.
Michael Carrick is looking for back-to-back wins when United travel to Arsenal on Sunday.