Referee Michael Oliver failed to notice Alexis Mac Allister’s head injury just moments before Manchester United’s contentious opening goal against Liverpool. Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead barely a minute into Sunday’s Premier League match, even though Liverpool’s Mac Allister was on the pitch, clutching his head after a collision when Mbeumo’s low shot defeated Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury clarified: “What we are getting from the Match Centre is that the referee didn’t see the injury and was therefore obviously not able to stop the game.” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who was commentating alongside Drury and United icon Gary Neville, expressed his dissatisfaction, retorting: “He was down holding his head.”
According to the FA’s rules of the game, play must be halted if a player suffers a head injury, in the referee’s judgement.
Mac Allister, 26, had to don a protective helmet after receiving treatment for his injury. United’s goalscorer Mbeumo was involved in the collision but emerged unharmed and capitalised on Liverpool’s lax defence.
The hosts’ frustration with Oliver intensified when he dismissed a penalty claim for an alleged handball by Amad. The incident was reviewed by VAR, which concurred with the referee’s decision.
“The referee’s call of no penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Amad’s arm was in a natural and justifiable position,” read a post from the Premier League’s Match Centre account.
Neville concurred, stating: “Amad has his arm in the position that referees give penalties for. But it hits his other arm. He just needs to keep his arms down. He finds himself in situations he is not used to: blocking crosses.”
United nearly doubled their lead when Bruno Fernandes shaved the post, after a cutback to the edge of the box, in what was a frantic opening 45 minutes.
Liverpool new boy Alexander Isak thought that he had a golden chance to equalise, as he forced a smart save from Senne Lammens down low from close range, but he was deemed to have been offside.
