After a lengthy VAR check, Rasmus Hojlund was adjudged to have brought down Rodri in the penalty box during a free-kick.
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It was a forgettable derby for Manchester United supporters after seeing their side coming second best to their city rivals. In what was supposed to be the game of the weekend, Manchester City eased past United 3-0 to win the battle at Old Trafford comfortably. More than the defeat, the disappointing performance raised alarm bells among supporters and pundits. There were plenty of talking points from the match, as many decisions made by manager Erik ten Hag were questioned.
Starting with the team selection to the substitutions and the tactics, a lot was discussed in depth by analysts after the game. Even though Manchester City won the game, comprehensively, some moments in the match had bigger effects like the penalty for the first goal. After a lengthy VAR check, Rasmus Hojlund was adjudged to have brought down Rodri in the penalty box during a free-kick. That decision has split opinions among viewers, with Manchester United defender Jonny Evans being the latest to talk about it.
“I think you see that a lot in the box and I don’t think he, Rasmus, is in a position to sort of – didn’t look like he had a hold on his shirt or anything. He’s only got one arm on him, which you see defenders using a lot. So it’s quite disappointing from the good of the VAR, be sent to the VAR and be put in a position where he’s been told he’s made a clear and obvious error. Like I say the referee, he’s in a difficult position then and he’s almost got to give the decision,” he told MUTV recently.
Shifting the attention back to the Premier League contest, Evans expressed his disappointment with the defeat but believed that it was time to move on. “It’s never easy. Everyone’s disappointed. You wish you could turn back the clock, but you know we’ve got to move on now. At this club that’s what it’s all about, you’ve got to [move on]. We’ll be preparing for the next game now and making sure preparations are ready,” the defender said.
He added: “I think we’ve been disrupted with a lot of injuries this season in terms of key personnel. Probably a lot of our starting players would be, you know, they’re missing. I think the manager’s found out difficulties having to sort of work on team, on tactics and having to change the personnel quite a lot with only two days in between games. So that’s been difficult, hopefully we can get more players back and get a real sort of opportunity to create freshness within the playing squad.”
The second-half performance was massively disappointing from Man United, receiving a lot of flak from supporters. Evans felt that the team did not create enough opportunities in that period. “We’re disappointed obviously the result coming in and you know we put a lot into the second half to get back and you know 2-0, maybe the chance with Rashy we sort of get back in it. But you know [it’s] probably disappointing that we didn’t create too much in the second half,” he explained.
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