Manchester United suffered their first league defeat in 12 games at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with the Gunners scoring through Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in either half.
Romelu Lukaku squandered some glorious chances while Fred also hit the bar with a fine effort.
United sought to comeback all-game, but their hopes were dashed when the Gabonese striker scored from the spot after referee Jon Moss awarded a penalty for a foul on Alexandre Lacazette by the Brazilian midfielder.
Not many agreed with his decision, and former EPL ref Mark Halsey believes Moss got the game-defining call wrong.
“Jon Moss got the decision wrong to award Arsenal a second-half penalty against Manchester United,” Halsey told The Sun.
“I felt it was a normal contact between Fred and Alexandre Lacazette as the pair moved into the penalty area. In real time, there was a coming together by the two players and the only contact was thigh on thigh at most.
“Had referee Moss waved play on, I don’t think there would have been any complaints. He was in a good position and I think he will be disappointed when he sees the incident back.”
@RefereeHalsey gives his view on Arsenal’s penalty against Manchester United… pic.twitter.com/G6NHMLaRhh
— Phil Cadden (@pjcadden) March 11, 2019
VAR would have helped Moss take a lot at the incident again as he promptly pointed to the spot after the Frenchman fell, and United were certainly unlucky as they might have fancied their chances of a comeback if the scores had remained 1-0.
While Lacazette didn’t dive, he most likely made a meal of the tackle, and even Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes the penalty was a soft one.
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