The Premier League has provided an explanation on why Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu was not sent off despite appearing to bring down the last man during their 4-2 win over Brighton.
Manchester United recorded a third consecutive Premier League victory on Saturday after beating Sunderland, Liverpool, and Brighton.
The Red Devils are now fourth on the Premier League table, as manager Ruben Amorim appears to have turned things around at Old Trafford.
Amorim made some changes while his side were 3-0 up, bringing on Patrick Dorgu for Amad Diallo, which changed the momentum of the match.
Just minutes after coming on, Dorgu brought down last man Yakuba Minteh on the edge of the box, giving away a free kick and earning himself a yellow card.
It surprised many that referee Anthony Taylor did not issue a straight red card, as such incidents usually result in a sending-off. However, VAR upheld the referee’s decision, allowing Dorgu to remain on the pitch.
The outcome could have been very different if Manchester United had been reduced to 10 men.
The Premier League Match Centre explained why the full-back was not given a red card, posting on Twitter:
“The referee’s call of a yellow card for the challenge by Dorgu on Minteh was checked and confirmed by VAR, with it deemed not to be denial of a goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) due to the position of [Senne] Lammens and the likelihood of Minteh gaining control of the ball.”
Speaking on the incident on Sky Sports, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said:
“It is a coming together. I thought the foul for the third goal was more of a foul than that one.
“He [Minteh] was never getting it; he’d lost control of it. I actually don’t think that’s a foul. There’s nothing in it at all.”