MANCHESTER UNITED were awarded a “ridiculous” penalty after Jack Grealish was judged to have handled the ball in the FA Cup final.
VAR decided to penalise the Manchester City star for his arm being in an unnatural position when the ball hit him from close range after a header from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Referee Paul Tierney was alerted to the incident by Stockley Park official David Coote.
And after checking the monitor the man with the whistle pointed to the spot.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up to convert the penalty to level the game after a sensational strike from Ilkay Gundogan after 14 seconds put City ahead.
But pundits were left raging over the decision.
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BBC’s Jermaine Jenas said: “Yes it’s hit his hand, yes his hand is in the air, but it’s not a penalty for me.’”
Meanwhile on ITV, Lee Dixon said: “That’s the worst penalty in the history of penalties.
“I don’t care what the rule book says, it’s not a penalty.”
Peter Schmeichel felt it was the correct decision but conceded the rules are “silly”.
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Alan Shearer agreed and called the regulations “terrible” and admitted he was on the verge of swearing about it.
Ex-Man Utd captain Roy Keane believed it was harsh but thought Grealish could bring his arms down.
There was more controversy later in the game over a decision when Kevin De Bruyne went down under the challenge of Fred.
VAR looked at the incident but believed it was not a foul.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
