was left baffled after Granit Xhaka’s decisive goal against was allowed to stand, despite a clear offside.
Saturday’s Premier League match was in the balance with 20 minutes remaining and the home side clinging to their 2-1 lead.
Xhaka, however, relieved the tension that was building inside the Emirates Stadium with his first goal of the season.
After Mohamed Elneny robbed Bruno Fernandes, who had earlier missed a penalty, Xhaka was presented with the opportunity to shoot from 25 yards and produced a left-footed howitzer that flew beyond David de Gea.
Replays showed that De Gea’s vision was impaired by Eddie Nketiah who was standing in an offside position, but VAR allowed the goal to stand.
A disgruntled Ferdinand told BT Sport: ‘He’s offside. I think it’s a great strike don’t get me wrong. He’s hit it like an arrow.
‘But if you go back to that shot where De Gea is looking round the player surely he’s interfering with play. He’s standing in an offside position. De Gea leans round him it’s got to be given.
‘He’s absolutely in line with De Gea, he reaches around him to have a look. The first player in front of him is Nketiah. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting near it or not he’s having to lean round a player standing in an off-side position.’
Former Premier League referee Peter Walton, however, revealed that the VAR would not have been able to determine whether or not it was Nketiah or United defender Victor Lindelof who prevented De Gea from getting a clear view of Xhaka’s strike.
Walton told BT Sport: ‘The offence is committed if the opponent interferes with the line of sight and the vision of the goalkeeper and you can argue he is looking around him.
‘But you can argue Victor Lindelof is there as well and I think there’s an angle where you can see he begins to look around and it’s Lindelof who actually when the ball is struck is it Lindelof or Nketiah?
‘The VAR has looked at it from various angles and decreed it’s Lindelof who protects the goal rather than Nketiah and therefore the goal stands.
‘There is a train of thought that says it was Nketiah but when you are looking for that clear evidence bearing VAR has to have that they have got this one right.’
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