"It's a little bit harsh" - Jamie Carragher on penalty decision that led to Man City opener against Manchester United
Jamie Carragher has said that Manchester City's penalty against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday (October 29) was harsh. He reckons Rasmus Hojlund did make a mistake, but it looked worse in slow motion.
On Sky Sports, Carragher said that the penalty given to Pep Guardiola's side is usually not awarded in Premier League games, elaborating:
"I'm not saying it's not a foul, but this happens constantly, virtually in every game, and you won't see penalties given for it, so I feel a bit for Manchester United because every team could show an incident like this where they feel that they should have had a pen.
"Yes, he's lost, and he panics, and the left arm comes out. Like everything, it looks a lot worse in slow motion. When you watch that in real time, as it happened."
Roy Keane also agreed but believes Rodri was not wrong in going down. He added that Hojlund should also do the same thing:
"They've got to make the most of their opportunities. I think Rodri has to go down for a penalty. I'm not saying for players to cheat, but we see it all the time."
Manchester United ended up losing the game 3-0, with Erling Haaland scoring twice and setting up Phil Foden for the third.
Gary Neville believes it was right to give Manchester City a penalty against Manchester United
While Jamie Carragher believed it was a harsh penalty, Gary Neville disagreed. The Manchester United legend added that it was a no-brainer and that it was the correct decision even though it was a soft call.
On Sky Sports, Neville said that it was Hojlund's mistake, and he paid the price for it, elaborating:
"I've looked at it four or five times, and in slow motion, it looks like a no-brainer that it's a penalty. In real-time, he gets around him, then lets go of Rodri, and he throws himself to the ground like most players would.
"Personally, I think it's a little bit soft, and he is not going to get away with it, Hojlund. He has lost his man. He has wrapped his arm around him, and he's going to pay for it."
Manchester United remain eighth in the Premier League with 15 points after 10 games, They have also lost five times and are 11 points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur.