The English Premier League has yet another VAR controversy on its hands after a bizarre statement from Manchester United defender Luke Shaw following a draw against Chelsea.
United's top four clash at Stamford Bridge may have finished in a 0-0 stalemate, but all the talk after the match was about a curious non-call that went Chelsea's way.
Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to handle a ball inside United's penalty box, but the VAR refused to overturn referee Stuart Atwell's on-field decision.
When questioned about the incident after the match, Shaw's response on Sky Sports raised more than a few eyebrows.
"The ref even said to (United skipper Harry Maguire) that 'if I say it is a pen then it is going to cause a lot of talk afterwards'. H got told it was a penalty," Shaw said.
"It's confusing with this VAR, because if it's not going to be a pen they might as well not stop the game. But I'm not going to moan about it, because I don't think either team did enough to win."
Shaw's claim was so outrageous, that United reportedly told the Manchester Evening News that the left-back had misheard the conversation between Atwell and Maguire.
Despite the draw, the upshot was a ninth game unbeaten in all competitions for new manager Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, seven of them without conceding a goal, but it also meant that Chelsea missed an opportunity to overtake West Ham for fourth in the table.
The draw also highlighted United's inability to mount an unlikely challenge to cross-city rival Manchester City for the title. City leads by 12 points from second-place United.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.