Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink slammed VAR after Arsenal were denied a goal during Sunday’s crunch Premier League match at Old Trafford.
The Gunners thought they had taken the lead in the 12th minute when Gabriel Martinelli latched onto Bukayo Saka’s perfect through ball and clipped the ball over the onrushing David de Gea.
Referee Paul Tierney was encouraged to visit the pitchside monitor, however, and run the rule over a challenge involving and Christian Eriksen which initiated Arsenal’s breakaway.
The match official subsequently chalked off the goal adjudging that the Arsenal skipper had made no contact with the ball.
Hasselbaink, however, argued that Eriksen had gone down too easily and that there was no need for VAR to intervene.
He told Sky Sports: ‘I think it’s ridiculous that they go back to that I don’t think it’s a foul. They have changed their saying that they are going to be more lenient.
‘Yes there is contact Eriksen is just weaker than the other player it’s just a turnover of play and a transition. He’s just been weak and falls on the flaw for me it’s not a foul.
‘He’s not kicking the player. he’s just coming in contact and that’s allowed. They wanted it be more flowing. Why is it a free-kick?’
Fellow pundit and former Arsenal star Paul Merson agreed, adding: ‘Eriksen’s gone down very weakly you can say it was a push in the back.
‘You might as well just go down and fall over because they are going to go back. It was a great finish and weight of pass. I think they’re very fortunate.’
Roy Keane, meanwhile, felt that Odegaard’s failure to get anything on the ball saved United from conceding the opening goal of an absorbing contest.
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