Manchester City left Old Trafford with a 2-0 defeat, and VAR played a significant role in the scoreline.
Manchester United had three goals disallowed for offside and hit the post twice, avoiding what could have been a larger defeat for City.
The first two disallowed goals were clear decisions, but Mason Mount’s third goal confused and irritated fans.
United in Focus spoke with former referee Mark Clattenburg to clarify the situation, and he provided a simple explanation.
Mark Clattenburg on Mason Mount’s disallowed goal against Man City
Photo by Jordan Peck/Getty Images
Michael Carrick’s plan against Man City was clear: quickly use long balls to exploit the space behind Guardiola’s high defensive line.
This strategy worked well as United hit the post twice and had three goals ruled out for offside.
In stoppage time, Mount thought he had scored to make it 3-0, connecting with Matheus Cunha’s cross. However, VAR intervened, calling Cunha offside, leading to further frustration among fans.
Supporters noticed that the offside line seemed drawn from the second-last defender, creating a very tight decision against United.
Clattenburg responded to these concerns, stating that VAR detected Cunha’s foot over the 5cm offside tolerance limit.
“The VAR replays showed that Cunha’s foot was ahead of the second-to-last defender and was judged more than 5cms offside,” he explained.
“We have to trust the system and the technology!”
Manchester United put in a strong performance
While United may have been disheartened by the third goal being disallowed, this match demonstrated how teams can create their own fortune.
Under Ruben Amorim, there were times United missed early chances and paid for it, an issue he often highlighted.
In the match against City, despite not finishing perfectly, they kept pushing and created many opportunities.
No team converts every chance they get; success over a season generally comes down to how many chances are created.
This was evident in the game. By the time Mount’s third goal was disallowed, it felt more like a bonus than a necessity for United.
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