There was a VAR intervention when United's Andre Onana challenged Wolves’ striker Sasa Kalajdzic as he went to collect a cross in the penalty box.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers were extremely unlucky to get nothing out of the contest against Manchester United in their Premier League opener. Going into the fixture at Old Trafford on Monday night, Wolves were the underdogs and understandably too due to the quality and depth present in their squad compared to that of the home side. However, they put up a good fight and made life extremely difficult for the hosts. In the end, a Raphael Varane header proved to be the difference, as United edged 1-0.
That was not the end of it. The biggest talking point came deep in the injury time. There was a VAR intervention when Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana challenged Wolverhampton Wanderers’ striker Sasa Kalajdzic as he went to collect a cross in the penalty box. After a detailed check, the penalty was not given, much to the disappointment of the away supporters and manager Gary O’Neil.
“I thought it was penalty. As it does, your phone goes quite busy after a game and most people who I’ve spoken to, and in other interviews I’ve done, it’s fairly unanimous that it looked like a foul. I feel if you go for the ball and miss it, and clatter into an opposing player that hard, I just don’t see how it’s not a foul. They were fortunate to get away with that one probably and I’m disappointed it didn’t go our way because it would have been the least we deserved, to score a last minute equaliser and leave at 1-1,” O’Neil was quoted as saying by the club’s website after the match.
He added: “The guidelines have changed around behaviour in the technical area, so no problem with that [the booking], I was asking for a penalty, wasn’t rude and didn’t offend anyone, just asking for a penalty maybe with too much energy, and a little emotional, but surprised when he came over it was me who ended up with the yellow card in that situation and not their goalkeeper, but I’ll try to behave better in the future.”
‘I’m struggling to figure out how we left with nothing’ Wolves can consider themselves unlucky to come away from that match with nothing after creating the better chances among the two sides. “We deserved something from the game, probably looking at the numbers and chances created, deserved to win,” O’Neil said. “A couple of emotions – really proud of the group, to respond to the change, to the four days work, and to give a performance like that takes a lot of guts, a lot of work and a lot of effort. Obviously, a huge chunk of disappointment attached because I’m struggling to figure out how we left with nothing. Lots of positives and lots of things I’d like to improve.”
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