Manchester United can indeed end the 2021/22 Premier League match against Arsenal with a win. However, the Red Devils had seen conceded a controversial goal.
Precisely in the 13th minute, when the Gunners created the opener from Emile Smith Rowe. Many thought that Martin Atkinson should have annulled the kick because he saw MU goalkeeper David De Gea lying on the ground after being accidentally stepped on by Fred.
However, Atkinson who again saw the incident through the VAR (video assistant referee), he still acted decisively to confirm the goal of the player with the English passport. Responding to the problem, Mark Clantteburg also opened his voice.
According to the former Premier League referee, Atkinson did nothing wrong when deciding the goal for Smith Rowe, because he did not intervene by blowing the whistle when De Gea was lying.
“He (Atkinson), had to give it that goal. Fred accidentally stepped on De Gea, so it wasn’t a foul. He didn’t blow his whistle (before the goal) so he had to confirm it,” said Clantteburg of Mirror Football.
Referee explains why controversial Arsenal goal “had to be given” vs Man Utdhttps://t.co/VfzLRqniJE pic.twitter.com/PhTUfxctuD
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) December 2, 2021
“I’ve never seen anything as extraordinary as that. However, Atkinson was helpless. He didn’t see De Gea lying on the ground, he didn’t look at the goalkeeper. He might have felt there was a foul in goal preparation and that’s why VAR was there, but it wasn’t.”
Manchester United’s victory was also Michael Carrick’s last match as interim coach because Ralf Rangnick will soon replace his role in the coaching chair until the end of the 2021/22 season.
