Former EPL Referee says why Liverpool was given a late penalty
Manchester United allowed another lead to slip against Liverpool, conceding a late penalty.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is usually one of Manchester United‘s best tacklers. But in the draw against Liverpool he got it all wrong.
With United leading 2-1 and Liverpool chasing the game, Wan-Bissaka made the decision to dive into a tackle and try to dispossess Harvey Elliott.
Wan-Bissaka failed to win the ball, but there was really minimal contact with Elliott too. VAR reviewed it and backed referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to award the penalty. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka decision reviewed
On initial viewing, the incident looked like a clear penalty. But when slowed down in slow motion, you can really see how Wan-Bissaka’s attempted tackle barely catches Elliott.
However, via Sky Sports News, former referee Dermot Gallagher gave his view, and said it was the ‘right decision’ to award the penalty, and there was enough contact, and defended the Liverpool midfielder against accusations he dived.
He said: “I think penalty. If you make a challenge like this. The expectation from me was penalty.
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“People say ‘is there a lot of contact? Well he dives in, he definitely makes contact.
“Have Elliot initiated contact? I think he’s just stood his ground. Me expectation was penalty and I think the decision is right.”
Three penalties in two games
Manchester United have now conceded three penalties in the last two games, with two awarded in the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea.
All three have been a little harsh. Antony barely touched Marc Cucurella, while Diogo Dalot only slightly clipped Noni Madueke.
The main issue is that United players keep putting themselves in these positions, giving attackers touches inside the penalty box.
These situations can wear players down, as we saw in Wan-Bissaka’s case, where he made the wrong decision. This was a mental error as much as a technical one.
Andre Onana was unable to bail Wan-Bissaka out, nor against Chelsea. He may have better luck next time, but hopefully United’s players will not be giving away any more penalties in the upcoming games.
United now have a week until the next game against Bournemouth. Getting a week of physical and mental rest will be beneficial to the players, who went straight into an intense schedule after the international break.
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