2 weeks Ago By Daniel Hepburn
Manchester United secured passage into the FA Cup fifth round in controversial fashion after matchwinner Harry Maguire was in an offside position for his goal in the 93rd minute – and Ruben Amorim provided an honest assessment of the defender’s goal. Friday night brought a familiar feeling of Sir Alex Ferguson ’s reign back to Old Trafford as Maguire headed past Mads Hermansen with mere seconds left on the clock, allowing the Red Devils to continue their defence of the oldest competition in world football . An eventually-deflated Leicester opened the scoring just before half-time after a six-yard box scramble saw the ball trickle into the net after bouncing off the head of an unbeknownst Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the 43rd minute.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Manchester United have conceded first in seven of their last eight home games. Alejandro Garnacho 's introduction at half-time changed the game, and he produced some brilliance on the left in the build-up to Joshua Zirkzee’s equaliser. And then came the contentious decision to allow Maguire to seal progression for his side.
Not only the English defender but a handful of Manchester United players were stationed in offside positions as Bruno Fernandes delivered a deep free-kick into a dangerous area. The linesman did not alert referee Michael Salisbury, and the goal stood. Manchester United advances to the fifth round of the FA Cup in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 victory against Leicester City on Friday evening.
Normally, in the Premier League , officials would have the benefit of using VAR to rectify poor decisions. But, by virtue of the technology being used strictly from the fifth round onwards this season , Salisbury had to stand by his team’s decision. In his post-match interview, Amorim – who is widely regarded as one of the best young managers in world football – was brutally honest about Maguire’s goal as he suggested that it should not have stood as he was in an offside position.
The goal was offside, we should have VAR. It should be here to overturn the decision. It’s hard on the opponent, it’s hard on Ruud [van Nistelrooy].
After stating his feeling of sorrow for his opposite number, Ruud van Nistelrooy , who won three of his four matches in caretaker charge of the Old Trafford outfit in 2024, the Lisbon-born tactician pointed towards his side’s spirited second-half performance. “But, in the second half, we managed to change the game a little bit but the performance, we were poor in this game. But then we showed some spirit, more energy in the second half.
Some players also came in and helped the team, so it was a good result but the performance, of course, we have to improve.” Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to credit Amorim for his honest assessment of what should’ve been chalked off as one said, “Quite honest in his assessment, got to give him credit for that.”, while another wrote, “Well done Amorim for being honest.
” On the penalty shout, Van Nistelrooy also made his feelings clear . Referring to the extra minutes that opponents claimed were allocated to the once-dominant side from Manchester when it was needed under Ferguson (the Dutchman's manager at Old Trafford), he claimed: We are not defeated in Fergie time, we are defeated in offside time. It is a hard one to take because the game was decided on a mistake, that is clear.
Incensed, he continued: "It is not a matter of VAR, where you have to look at millimeters. It is half a metre, it is clear. The team didn’t deserve to lose the game in this way.
They fought, played well, and dominated the game for a long bit.”.
