Brentford secured a convincing 3-1 victory over Man Utd at the Gtech Community Stadium last month. Igor Thiago opened the scoring in the eighth minute, catching Harry Maguire off guard after a long ball from Jordan Henderson, Thiago then doubled Brentford's lead in the 20th minute, capitalising on a spilled cross from Kevin Schade. Benjamin Sesko pulled one back for United in the 26th minute, forcing the ball home at the third attempt after a scramble in the box. The flashpoint came in the second-half, when United were awarded a penalty after Nathan Collins fouled Bryan Mbeumo, but Bruno Fernandes' effort was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher. It has since been claimed that referee boss Howard Webb has contacted United to say an error was made by the matchday officials. This result ended Brentford's winless streak and put further pressure on United manager Ruben Amorim.
Referee Pawson decided to issue a yellow card instead of a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The Premier League Match Centre stated that VAR reviewed the decision, but ultimately concluded that Mbeumo was not in full control of the ball, leading to the decision not to issue a red card. Webb, the head of PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), reportedly conceded the initial decision was an error, as reported by the Daily Mail. The controversy surrounding this particular decision highlights the ongoing debate about the use of VAR and the inconsistencies in its application.
After the match, Amorim said: "The referee told me Bryan was not in control of the ball, I think he was not in control because he was pulled. The media can say what happened. I don't want to talk about the referee." Elsewhere, former England striker Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day: "It should have been a red card. It is a terrible decision. He couldn't be in control of the ball because someone was pulling him back. He should have been sent off, absolutely no doubt. It has to be a red card, he is half a yard from the ball. Man Utd have been punished for that in being up against 11 men and the game changed from there on.” And former Chelsea winger Joe Cole told TNT Sports: "I think he got away with one, Collins. As a centre-forward and a player of that quality all Bryan Mbeumo has to do is put his toe on it. I feel for the referees, but looking at it again it is clearly a goalscoring opportunity."
The pressure remains on Amorim but, following the defeat by Brentford his team responded with a confident 2-0 victory over Sunderland at Old Trafford. And while that one win will not disprove the doubters, one United star was keen to throw his support behind his Portuguese boss. Mason Mount said: "We’re 100 per cent behind the gaffer. We’ve had some results that hurt us – the team, the staff and the fans. But that was an important win.” And Amorim added: “I know they want to do the best and I know they don’t want to change the coach all the time. But we need to show with actions. I feel it during the week but we need to show it on the pitch. Sometimes they know we can do better."
United now go into the international break on the back of a win, ahead of a mighty clash at Anfield against bitter rivals Liverpool on October 19. They now sit 10th in the Premier League table, with 10 points from seven games.
