VAR Blunder Devastates Man Utd as Officials Admit Wrongly Disallowed Goal Cost Them Victory
Manchester United have been confirmed to have had a legitimate goal by Lisandro Martínez wrongfully disallowed during their 2–2 stalemate with Burnley in the Premier League this month, according to an official assessment of the controversial moment.
Martínez found the back of the net with what appeared to be a leveling strike in the opening period at Turf Moor, as United were behind 1–0 following Burnley's opener via an unfortunate Ayden Heaven own goal.
Just prior to the Argentine center-back converting the ball into the goal, he made minimal contact with Clarets defender Kyle Walker. Official Stuart Attwell determined this constituted an infringement against the ex-Manchester City player and granted Burnley a free-kick, ruling out the strike.
Nevertheless, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has determined this was an error and the goal should have been allowed. The panel reached a 3–2 majority decision that the match official was incorrect.
"Walker exaggerated the contact and the choice to disallow the goal for a foul was wrong," the panel stated.
Yet, the panel supported VAR Craig Pawson's non-intervention by a 4–1 margin: "The choice not to intervene by VAR was divided but backed on the grounds it wasn't a clear and obvious mistake."
Man Utd Wasteful in Front of Goal in Burnley Draw
Man Utd Wasteful in Front of Goal in Burnley Draw
The match marked interim boss Darren Fletcher's opening fixture of two games overseeing the team after Ruben Amorim's departure. The Scottish coach, who has now resumed his previous position as U-18s manager following Michael Carrick's appointment on a temporary basis, secured victory in neither contest.
The validation that Martínez's strike should have counted will undoubtedly feel like a blow. However, whether this necessarily altered the match result and directly led to United's inability to secure all three points remains debatable.
Benjamin Šeško proceeded to level the score soon after the interval, before giving the Red Devils the advantage with his second goal ten minutes thereafter. Jaidon Anthony's equalizer for Burnley after 66 minutes, with substantial time remaining, sealed the scoring and ensured a draw.
Throughout the encounter, United created sufficient opportunities to claim victory. Matheus Cunha and Patrick Dorgu both saw efforts cleared from the goal line, while teenage replacement Shea Lacey struck the crossbar and Burnley keeper Martin Dúbravka made six stops. The match statistics showed Burnley managed only 0.24 expected goals (xG), while United recorded 2.55, with the visitors squandering three "big chances."
Poor finishing and defensive lapses ultimately played a larger role in the dropped points than the officiating mistake, despite the legitimate feeling of being hard done by that now accompanies the result.