Alan Shearer has hit out at the match officials who opted against showing Nathan Collins a red card on Saturday afternoon.
Amidst Manchester United’s dismal showing at the Gtech Community Stadium, they were on the receiving end of a hugely controversial VAR decision.
When chasing an equaliser in the closing stages of the clash, Bryan Mbeumo was pulled back in the area by former teammate Collins when through on goal for what would’ve essentially been a tap-in.
Craig Pawson subsequently blew his whistle and awarded the visitors a spot-kick before showing the Brentford defender a yellow card.
Brentford should’ve been down to 10 men for last 15 minutes vs United
There was then, unsurprisingly, a lengthy VAR check to determine whether Mbeumo was onside for the chance.
After coming to the conclusion that he was, they checked whether Collins should actually be sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity.
The entire process took four-and-a-half minutes in total. When it was over, Keith Andrews bizarrely made two changes to his on-field personnel, delaying Bruno Fernandes even further.
United’s skipper went on to miss his penalty for the second time this season, with Caoimhin Kelleher equal to his tame effort. The Reds failed to secure a leveller in the dying embers, but Brentford did add a goal in injury time to extend their lead to 3-1, rubbing even more salt in Ruben Amorim’s wounds.
Whilst it wouldn’t have changed the fact that United’s showing was simply dire, fans – and even neutrals – have rued the sheer ludicrousness of Collins being allowed to play on and see out the game.
When reacting post-match, Amorim explained that he had been informed the reasoning behind VAR’s conclusion was that Mbeumo hadn’t controlled the ball at the time he was fouled.
Shearer in disbelief over Collins decision
Shearer has also lamented the decision twice already. He said on Match of the Day: “They (United) 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.”
Further, he told The Rest Is Football panel: “I’m pretty certain, you will probably, no you will see Howard Webb coming out to say, ‘That’s another one we got wrong.’
“There’s no way he’s going for the ball. He clearly pulls him back, Mbeumo would’ve put it in the back of the net – it’s a ridiculous decision, it’s clearly a massive error by the referee and the VAR again.”
