TYRONE MINGS bizarrely decided not to celebrate his crucial equaliser for Aston Villa in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United because he thought it was going to be ruled out by VAR.
The central defender rifled past David De Gea to level things up at Old Trafford, but clearly felt he was offside when the ball was lofted over by Matt Targett.
Mings was clearly onside when the ball was played
It initially looked as if the United defence had stepped up at just the right time and caught a number of Villa players offside.
However, the assistant referee’s flag stayed down and so the goal appeared to have been given.
It was confirmed when VAR checked the goal and the players were eventually informed that it would in fact stand.
But Mings’ muted celebration – which involved him running straight back to the half-way line, shows how VAR looks to be changing players’ ability to enjoy the goals they score.
By the time the incident had been checked and the goal was given, the moment for Mings to celebrate had long gone.
There was also confusion amongst the travelling fans who were unsure whether to celebrate or gesticulate.
It was a classic example of what many feared would happen when VAR was implement as it seems to have changed the initial excitement surrounding a goal going in.
It proved to be the decisive goal of the match as Villa held on for a much needed point.
They now sit three points above the drop zone having picked up a 2-0 win against Newcastle on Monday.
Meanwhile, United dropped yet more points and are now eight points behind Chelsea in the race for the top four.
Mings was left totally confused after scoring past David De GeaCredit: Reuters
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
