Aston Villa thought they’d bagged themselves a deserved equaliser at Old Trafford in Monday night’s FA Cup Third Round tie.
Manchester United, despite taking the lead in the match, again produced a flat performance in the opening hour, and it wasn’t really a surprise when it seemed as though Danny Ings had silenced the Theatre of Dreams.
John McGinn had swung in a free-kick, which had found its way to Ings to make no mistake.
TV footage would show muted Steven Gerrard celebrations on the sidelines, however, both his and Villa’s joy would be short-lived.
A long look at the incident leading up to the goal by VAR saw referee, Michael Oliver, go over to the pitch side monitor.
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That normally means one thing and, as expected, after explaining the decision to the two captains, Oliver ruled it out.
A potential handball from Ings wasn’t the issue, but a foul on Edinson Cavani as the free-kick was bent into the area.
The decision handed Ralf Rangnick and his team a reprieve as Villa threatened to get on top in the tie.
United should’ve had the match sewn up long before that scare, but it was to Villa’s credit that they continued to retain an interest.
It was a reminder to the hosts that Gerrard’s side shouldn’t be discounted in the game.
Here’s the VAR check, on what Aston Villa thought was an equaliser, in its entirety.
All 3 minutes & 45 seconds of it.
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— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 10, 2022
??? | Ings goal for Aston Villa vs Manchester United pic.twitter.com/1cZLsUZQnl
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