REDS REACT TO CONTROVERSIAL VAR DECISION
There was a major talking point during Manchester United's 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the Emirates FA Cup as Juan Mata's first-half goal was disallowed after referee Kevin Friend used the VAR technology.
The match official consulted with Neil Swarbrick in the studio as VAR was in effect on a Reds game for the first time and, after some delay, the Spaniard's strike was ruled out. As the picture, courtesy of BT Sport, who broadcast the game live in the UK, shows it was an extremely tight call. The decision prompted much debate and both Jose Mourinho and Juan Mata had their say afterwards.
"I prepared myself during the week to control my emotions in relation to a similar situation to the one that happened," said the boss. "You score a goal, you have some doubts over to celebrate or not celebrate. Are you happy or not happy? I was not happy the moment I saw Kevin Friend touching the earpiece, I knew something was going on. That doubt is not the best feeling.
"If the decision goes against my team but is the right decision I am very happy with that because what I want is the truth and, sometimes, it goes against my team and, sometimes, in my team’s favour. But I heard comments that maybe the linesman was right and not the studio. I think it’s an experimental period. In Portugal we have it in every match. I’m quite familiar with what the VAR is bringing that’s good and bad. They have to kill the bad and make it perfect.
"The feeling is amazing when the truth comes but there are also problems. One of the problems is what happened today which goes against the words of the protocol. It’s something like a ‘clear and obvious situation’ and, for sure, this was not a clear and obvious situation. But we know that it is experimental and we have to accept it but I am speaking after a 2-0 victory!
"At half-time, I had to tell 20 times to my analysts and assistants to shut up! I don’t want the players to know what happened. I want the players to feel yes, it was offside and let’s move on without being sat unhappy around computers. I was saying ‘shut up – we have to move on’. One day, it will go in our favour."
The goalscorer, Mata, who will presumably go down in history as the first Reds player ever to have a strike disallowed by video technology, he was philosophical about the decision.
"On the pitch, I didn’t know if I was offside or not because it was I think the line was very tight," the midfielder told MUTV. "I did what I had to do which was to score and celebrated. Then, after, I saw the referee speaking to someone and you look silly when the goal is denied.
"I’m up for VAR and I think it is good for football especially to make important decisions and make it a little bit fairer but it seems like today it was not a very clear the decision against us and me. The good thing was that it was not needed [the goal] because we won anyway but I think we all wished it was quicker. I celebrated and it didn’t count."
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