Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag voiced his displeasure over several controversial refereeing decisions during the team’s 4-3 defeat to Copenhagen in the Champions League.
Copenhagen staged a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down and 3-2 down, securing their first Champions League victory this season against Manchester United. The game took a decisive turn when Marcus Rashford received a red card for a studs-up challenge just before half-time, and Copenhagen quickly scored two goals.
Man utd suffered a bitter defeat against copenhagen
Ten Hag contested the validity of Mohamed Elyounoussi’s goal, arguing that a Copenhagen player was offside and obstructing the view of goalkeeper Andre Onana. He also questioned the decision to penalize Harry Maguire for a handball in his own area, which allowed Diogo Goncalves to equalize from the penalty spot. Manchester United had conceded penalties in all four of their Champions League matches, and Ten Hag considered three of them to be contentious.
“We are very disappointed, especially because we played very well,” said Ten Hag. “The first ten minutes of the game were the best of the season. We were in the lead, and then the red card changed everything. We conceded two goals before half-time that should never have been allowed.
The first goal was offside, and the second was a penalty. Out of the four games we’ve played, we’ve conceded four penalties, and I believe three of them are highly debatable.”
Ten Hag also criticized the VAR process that led to Rashford’s red card. He argued that the slow-motion replays presented the challenge in an unfairly negative light and felt that such decisions were not in line with the spirit of the game.
“It’s also harsh. Marcus Rashford went for the ball, and the referee took a long time to make the decision,” Ten Hag emphasized.
“When you freeze a moment, it always looks worse. I’m very disappointed about such decisions. This is not how football should be. Football is about making decisions, and I understand that wrong decisions can happen at this level. But having three such tough decisions in one game is not what football is meant to be.”
The cruel red card that Rashford received
Erik ten Hag’s frustration with the refereeing decisions was evident as he lamented the impact of these contentious calls on the game’s outcome.
