VAR was needed multiple times during Manchester United’s dramatic derby day victory over Manchester City.
Michael Carrick could not have made a better start to his 17-game stint as Manchester United interim head coach.
Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu gave United a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils were more than deserving of all three points.
Michael Carrick is off to the PERFECT START at Man Utd, and he wants more!
Why do you think it went SO RIGHT for Carrick against City?
Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
On top of their two goals, United also had the ball in the back of the net another three times, only for officials or VAR to rule it out as offside.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg defended the decision to disallow Mason Mount’s goal for an offside call on Matheus Cunha. He did, however, spot a mistake earlier in the match.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty ImagesMark Clattenburg gives verdict on Diogo Dalot challenge
In the first half, before United were leading, Diogo Dalot was booked by referee Anthony Taylor for a challenge that caught Jeremy Doku on the knee.
The challenge was checked and cleared by VAR, but Clattenburg believes they made a glaring error and the Portuguese defender should have been sent off.
WHO was your man of the match for Manchester United vs City?
Let us know who you picked…
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Speaking exclusively to United in Focus, Clattenburg said: “There is no doubt in my mind that Anthony Taylor and the VAR made a mistake in not sending off Diogo Dalot for a challenge on Jeremy Doku,
“The laws are clear that if a player lunges at his opponent with his studs showing, catching the player on the knee with some degree of malice, they should be sent off from the field of play for serious foul play.
“This challenge could have easily endangered the safety of his opponent.”
United legend Roy Keane thinks Dalot should have been sent off for his challenge too, so it seems the 26-year-old can consider himself lucky.
Diogo Dalot dominated Jeremy Doku in Manchester derby
Heading into Saturday’s derby, there was a lot of concern among the fanbase at United’s full-backs coming up against Antoine Semenyo and Doku.
Dalot was booked for his early challenge on Doku, but he deserves a lot of credit for balancing discipline with aggression for the remainder of the match.
READ MORE: Noussair Mazraoui will replace Dalot but solution to Man Utd’s problems is still on the sidelines
As per SofaScore, Dalot won 100% of his tackles, was not dribbled past once and completed eight defensive contributions, all while being an attacking threat down United’s right.
United fans have understandably grown frustrated at many of Dalot’s performances this season, but he was flawless in the derby, even if Clattenburg feels as though he was lucky to stay on the pitch.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox