Reason why Manchester United was not awarded a penalty for a handball from Morgan Rogers during Manchester United 0-0 Aston Villa draw match

Following their goalless stalemate against Aston Villa on Sunday, Manchester United is now winless in five games. However, there were a few contentious decisions made during the game at Villa Park.

According to former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher, Manchester United should not have been granted a penalty for a handball by Morgan Rogers during their 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.

In the 22nd minute at Villa Park, United believed that they should have been awarded a penalty shot after Harry Maguire’s downward header struck Rogers’ arm. Nevertheless, referee Rob Jones denied on-pitch appeals. The decision was verified and affirmed by VAR, which determined that the “ball was played from close proximity.”

Now, Gallagher, who served as an official in the top tier for 15 years, stated to Sky Sports, “It did (hit his arm). I am curious about this one; do you truly wish to witness a penalty ever being awarded for that? Clearly, the response is negative.

Another controversial judgment from the match occurred when Kobbie Mainoo was booked for a challenge on Youri Tielemans during the first half. Some Villa fans made demands requesting that Mainoo be sent off; however, Jones issued him a yellow card and VAR did not decide to intervene.

“It’s a yellow card, he goes in, it’s one of them, he’s overran the ball, they’re in a hurry to get it back, he stretches, it’s low and catches him,” Gallagher reported regarding Mainoo’s tackle. “Yellow card.”

The pressure on United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, is mounting as a result of their lackluster start to the campaign, as they have now drawn four of their last five matches. The Dutchman expressed satisfaction with his team’s effort and unity following the game, despite the fact that they have only won three of their ten matches across all competitions this season.

Ten Hag stated, “This is our fourth clean sheet of the season, which is indicative of our exceptional organization. We maintain control both in and out of possession.” While we have generated numerous opportunities in numerous games thus far, we did not generate as many today. However, we did have the opportunity to capitalize on them, particularly with Rashford both before and after halftime.

“Bruno executed a free kick that struck the crossbar.” And then we must also observe that in the end, when we defend as we did today, which was very strong, you also have some success. They arguably created the best opportunity of the game, as evidenced by the deflected shot and the block from Diogo.