Manchester United were forced to rue a refereeing decision as Brentford defender Nathan Collins avoided a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity
A former Premier League referee believes Craig Pawson made a mistake during Man United’s defeat at Brentford.(Image: Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Chris Foy believes it was a mistake not to send off Nathan Collins against Manchester United. The defender avoided red during Brentford’s 3-1 win over Ruben Amorim’s side on Saturday.
The incident saw the Republic of Ireland international penalised in the penalty area for a foul on Bryan Mbeumo, however, it has become clear that the stopper denied a goal scoring opportunity. Bruno Fernandes did go on to miss the resulting penalty while the Bees went on to rubber-stamp their triumph as Mathias Jensen added the third in stoppage time.
In the wake of the defeat, the decision from Craig Pawson not to reduce the hosts to 10 men has been criticsed with Premier League icon Alan Shearer doubling down on his criticism.
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim welcomes ‘bomb squad’ member back into Manchester United first-teamREAD MORE: Barcelona chief hints at why Marcus Rashford failed at Man United
“He should have been [sent off], but I think in the first instance the penalty wasn’t given on field, there was a slight delay,” Foy told talkSPORT.
“I think the assistant referee on that side, Lee Betts, has spoken to the referee, he’s communicated that, Craig Pawson points to the spot and the next thing, the penalty is given, that’s the decision we want.
“But there is more to it isn’t there? Quite clearly, what we’re talking about is, is it a goalscoring opportunity? And should Andy Madley recommend a review? Yes he should, that was a clear red card offence in my opinion.
“Take the defender away, look where Mbeumo is, look where the ball is, in my opinion, the VAR should’ve recommended a review and I’m sure if Craig Pawson would’ve looked at the monitor then a red card would’ve been shown.”
Shearer has been steadfast in his criticism of the decision that impacted United on Saturday afternoon.
The former Newcastle United striker slammed the officiating, he said: “So they should [be aggrieved]. Yes, they got the penalty but what they didn’t get, the officials, it should have been a red card as well.
“They get it right in terms of the referee’s call: he gives the penalty for the pull back. But what they didn’t get right was the yellow card check for Collins.
“They deemed that Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball, I mean honestly, it’s just a terrible decision.
“He can’t be in control of the ball because someone is pulling him back, he’s a yard from the ball, clearly.
“Yes, [Fernandes] had to wait four-and-a-half minutes before getting to that decision but that’s a mistake from him. [Collins] should have been sent off – absolutely no doubt about it.”
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.