Manchester United suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Brentford in a Premier League match on Saturday. The game was marked by controversy over a red card decision involving Brentford defender Nathan Collins. In response, the Premier League has released an official statement explaining why Collins was not shown the red card during their victory over Manchester United.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago scored twice in the first half, adding more pressure on Ruben Amorim, who is already under scrutiny following their second Premier League win of the new season. Despite Benjamin Sesko netting his first goal for United and sparking hopes of a comeback, it wasn't meant to be as Bruno Fernandes' second-half penalty was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher.
Controversial penalty decision
The most significant opportunity for United came during a scrappy second half when Bryan Mbeumo was pulled back by Collins as he tried to connect with Matheus Cunha’s cross into the box. Referee Craig Pawson awarded a penalty kick after briefly pausing for deliberation and also initiated a VAR check to determine if Collins should have been sent off for denying Mbeumo what seemed like an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
A lengthy stoppage ensued while officials reached their decision - something that Fernandes might feel contributed to his missed penalty attempt.
This proved to be an extremely controversial moment in the match as Brentford capitalized on this momentum shift and added another goal through substitute Mathias Jensen. This further increased pressure onto Ruben Amorim and raised questions about officiating decisions impacting match outcomes.
Official statement from Premier League
Following widespread debate about whether or not Collins should have been sent off, the Premier League took to their Match Centre social media account to clarify the situation.
Premier League released statement:
“The referee’s call of penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Collins deemed to pulled Mbeumo back. VAR also checked the referee’s call of yellow card to Collins - and deemed that Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball."
This explanation suggests that while there was a foul, it did not warrant a red card because Mbeumo was not in control of the ball at the time of the incident. This match serves as an example of how critical officiating decisions can be in determining match outcomes. It also highlights how technology like VAR is increasingly playing a role in these decisions, adding another layer to football's strategic complexity.
