Manchester United may not have had the momentum or chance to mount a second-half comeback against Arsenal if one moment in the first-half was judged by VAR.
In the first minute of first-half stoppage time, the Gunners whipped in a free-kick that potentially could’ve landed in the path of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Whilst Gabriel Martinelli got a head to the ball first, Tomiyasu was snatched of the chance to even meet it in the air as Harry Maguire tugged his counterpart’s arm, leaving him to drop down to the floor.
Maguire secured quite the grip on the Japanese star before dragging him to the ground, but the moment was surprisingly ignored by Martin Atkinson and VAR, leaving the Gunners without a penalty that could’ve handed them the opportunity to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
Maguire dragging down Tomiyasu in the penalty box….
No penalty for this incident….?Big cheat pic.twitter.com/ESvpb2KO4K— Kofi Patrick (@KhophyPatrick) December 2, 2021
Pictures from Prime Video Sport.
Can’t believe the VAR haven’t pulled up that foul by Maguire on Tomiyasu. Then again, it’s Old Trafford. I don’t know why I’m surprised anymore.
— Harry Symeou (@HarrySymeou) December 2, 2021
It will be interesting to see whether this moment becomes a major talking point after the match, will Mikel Arteta mention it during his post-game media?