Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini criticised the referee's decision to award Manchester United a penalty during the Reds' 3-2 victory at Old Trafford. United were staring down the barrel of a seventh defeat in ten matches on Tuesday night after conceding twice in quick succession.
Penalty decision changes the game
The game hinged on Jesus Gil Manzano's decision to award United a penalty just before the hour mark. Matheus Cunha went to ground inside the area and, albeit there was a suggestion he may have tripped up over his own feet, VAR chose to stick with the on-field decision.
Bruno Fernandes' penalty was saved by Devis Vasquez. However, VAR ordered a retake due to encroachment by a Roma player. Fernandes made no mistake with his second attempt, and the game swung in United's favour. Cunha would then score twice to turn the game on its head and deliver a huge three points for Michael Carrick.
Gasperini's frustration
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Gasperini admitted he was frustrated by the penalty United received. "A game lasts 90 minutes and they took more risks in the second half and they stepped up in the second half," the head coach conceded.
"We were able to counter them, to a certain extent, but maybe not fully and obviously you are going to have some struggle when you play against a team like Manchester United, that goes without saying. But I think we probably could have done a bit more to safeguard the score."
"We hope that these kind of penalties would no longer be conceded or given, whether it be in Italy or Europe, and [this is] something that is quite irritating, I would have to say. The second goal, we had an injured player out on the pitch and perhaps we are a bit unlucky not to get a positive result, but certainly we have to look at what we could have done better in the second half as well."
Impact on the table
The victory for United moves them up to 17th in the Champions League table, two points outside the top eight. United could drop further down the table, should results go against them on Wednesday night. Next up for Carrick and his players is a home clash with Aston Villa before the November international break.
