Alan Shearer and former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg agreed that Leny Yoro should not have been shown a red card during Manchester United's match against Atletico Madrid.
The Manchester United defender was sent off in the 74th minute for pulling down Atletico's Jonathan David just inside United's half. Initially, play continued with Ademola Lookman forcing a one-on-one save from Senne Lammens. However, the referee decided to halt play and award United a free-kick after David handled the ball on the ground before his teammate could take a shot at goal.
VAR Intervention and Pundit Reaction
There was some confusion when VAR stepped in, instructing Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg to review the incident for a potential red card. As the last man, Yoro was deemed to have made significant contact to prevent David from breaking away, resulting in a straight red despite the contact appearing minimal.
Commenting on Amazon Prime's coverage of the match, Shearer stated: "It wasn't [a foul] for me. He goes down too easy. It's not a foul."
Clattenburg echoed Shearer's sentiments, saying: "I agree with Alan. That's extremely soft. He puts his arm across, and the two players are fighting for position."
Clattenburg and Shearer on the Contact
He added: "I just think he goes down very, very easy. This has to be a clear and obvious error, and I don't believe it is a clear and obvious error from the referee. The VAR is going to recommend that it's a red card. Yes, it's central but I just think it's a coming together. There is an arm across the shoulder, but that contact is very slight. I don't believe, in my opinion, that it's a red card. But we know from this review what is going to happen."
Shearer chimed in: "I didn't think that was enough. It's a contact sport, an arm on someone doesn't mean it's a foul. You know as a forward, as soon you feel a touch, whether it's an arm or not, that he's going over. You hope that the referee realises that. Not enough for a red for me, but and it's a huge but, Manchester United have only got themselves to blame. They have created chances but they've missed far too many."
United's Defeat and Pressure Mounts
United had their fair share of chances, but found themselves trailing after just 53 seconds when Pablo Barrios netted the opener for Atletico. Despite their best efforts, the visitors couldn't breach Jan Oblak's defences in the Atletico goal, with substitute Ademola Lookman sealing the deal with a second goal in the 79th minute.
The pressure is mounting on Michael Carrick as United's disastrous start to the season shows no signs of letting up. The beleaguered boss urgently needs to turn things around, with a challenging away match against rivals Leeds looming on Sunday.
