Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher disagree over Wolves' last-minute penalty shout against Manchester United
Football pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher disagreed over a Wolves penalty claim towards the end of their opening clash against Manchester United on Monday, August 14. Red Devils' new signing Andre Onana came out and clattered in to substitute Sasa Kalajdzic in injury time when Manchester United led their opposition 1-0.
Despite catching his man after coming out to punch a cross, Onana was deemed not guilty by the on-field referee and the video assistant. Speaking after the game, Neville said (via Manchester World):
"The reason I thought it was a penalty was because I don’t think Onana was anywhere near the ball. I think he was always under it, he was never getting there, so I think he could have made a decision before he jumped."
"He’s done that, but the problem is he is nowhere near the ball, he’s in a calculated fashion decided he’s going to disturb the attacking player as much as he can and put him off," Neville said.
On the other hand, Carragher claimed that there wasn't enough in the challenge for the decision to get overturned. He said:
"I wasn’t sure. I think when I initially saw it and it hadn’t been given as a penalty, I didn’t think there was anyway it was going to be overturned. I didn’t think it was that big of a mistake."
Should the referee have decided otherwise, Wolves would have had their golden opportunity to equalize after trailing to Raphael Varane's 76th-minute goal. The game ended in favor of Erik ten Hag's men, who scored the only goal of the tie.
Erik ten Hag backs Manchester United goalkeeper after controversial penalty decision
Manchester United boss has come out in support of Andre Onana after late drama in the club's 1-0 Premier League victory over Wolves on Monday, August 14. The game was settled, thanks to Raphael Varane's 76th-minute goal.
However, it was no short of drama as Onana clumsily collided with Wolves' Sasa Kalajdzic in injury time. According to the Dutch tactician, the on-field call of not awarding a spot-kick was correct. He said (via India Today):
"It is difficult. Andre was really brave to come out and the ball was touched before he dived in so I don’t think he had an influence on the touch from the opponent. You can debate it, but I think no penalty."
In the end, the Red Devils came away with all three points after registering eight shots fewer than their opposition. Up next for Manchester United is Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, August 19.