Leeds United were denied a penalty against Manchester United because VAR wanted to 'stay low key', according to former Professional Game Match Officials Board chief Keith Hackett. The decision came after Ethan Ampadu tangled with Harry Maguire during the second half of the 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Sunday.
Ampadu hit the floor after a coming together with Maguire inside the box. Despite appeals from Leeds players and supporters, referee Darren England waved play on, and VAR upheld his on-field decision.
Hackett criticises Maguire and VAR
Hackett was not convinced by the call, telling MOT Leeds News: "Maguire, let’s face it, is a serial offender at corner kicks and will continue to use his hands and arms illegally until someone determines that a penalty kick should be awarded."
He added: "Maguire has committed a foul challenge and England should have penalised it with a penalty kick. VAR, in an attempt to stay low key, decides not to come in, but he should have done to allow England the opportunity to have a replay of the incident at the monitor."
Concerns over England's workload
Hackett also suggested that England, who had been on VAR duty for Liverpool’s win over Brentford the day before the Elland Road game, was suffering from mental exhaustion. That match saw Keith Andrews' side finish with nine men after two sending offs at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Hackett also said England should have booked Ampadu for a reckless challenge on Bryan Mbeumo in the first half. "Darren England should have produced a yellow card for this clear reckless challenge," he said. "Perhaps because he was close he was unable to determine the speed of the challenge accurately. A busy weekend and in my opinion should only receive one appointment in order to fully recover. It’s the mental exhaustion."
Gallagher agrees with on-field call
On Sky Sports’ Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher gave his view on the non-penalty decision, saying: "They tangle up together. The No5 for Leeds also grabs Maguire so he brings him back to bring his teammate down. All in all, play on."
Reflecting on the draw, United boss Michael Carrick said: "There was definitely that commitment there. It had to be there today. I said it the other day, I didn’t doubt it, I could feel it."
He continued: "The mood and feeling in the group was as good as I can remember for some time. I was looking forward to seeing that in the game, and I saw that intensity. I spoke to them this morning about the history of this game and what it means to the supporters and to the football club. We spoke about what it takes to come to their territory and to get a result. It tests you if you come here and you aren’t quite there. It wasn’t a perfect performance, it wasn’t our most unbelievable performance but there was lot in there that showed how together the group are."
