PGMOL is under increasing pressure from Manchester United fans to explain why Brentford was allowed to make a change while Bruno Fernandes was left waiting for his missed penalty in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat. The United skipper had to wait nearly four minutes before making his six-yard shot.
Brentford lost 97 goals this summer when Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo left, with the latter joining the Red Devils. But all it took to forget that fact was Jordan Henderson’s sublime Hail Mary to play in Igor Thiago, who made no mistake, powering his half-volley off the post and into the back of the net before quickly grabbing himself a rebounded goal to bring his tally to five goals in six games this season.
Although United got a lifeline from Benjamin Sesko’s first goal for the club, Brentford’s long balls continued to pour down on the visitors. The Bees held firm, extending Amorim’s losing streak on the road to eight games, stretching back to March.
The former Sporting manager still appears to be caught on a hamster wheel in his attempts to get United back on track, but supporters believe they were treated unfairly, citing the lengthy VAR wait on Mbeumo’s penalty and Brentford’s following time-wasting as a major cause of discontent.
PGMOL Under Pressure to Explain Brentford Subs.
Fernandes has missed two of his three penalties in the league this season, indicating that Keith Andrews did his study. The Bees’ manager acknowledged that the Portugal international frequently falters when forced to consider where to put his shot for too long.
With VAR taking its time with the Mbeumo foul, Andrews contributed to the delay by making substitutes, extending the time between the initial call and the penalty being taken. It’s an unprecedented strategy, and while there is no rule stating whether it is permitted or not, United fans are demanding an explanation. Mark Ogden, a senior writer at ESPN, asked (see below):
“Somebody may know of a precedent, but is it normal for a substitution to be made between the award of a penalty and the taking of it…?”
A second said, “We were robbed. This was a red card. Also, why did the referee allow substitutions before the pen? I’m fuming. Get rid of VAR, it destroys the game @FA_PGMOL,” while a third continued: “@FA_PGMOL why did Pawson allow Brentford to make replacements before the penalty, prolonging it even further after the #VAR debacle. “Don’t you realise you’re ruining football????”
Another X user commented: “I’m sorry, how are Brentford permitted to make replacements between a penalty being awarded and taken? “That is outrageous, @FA_PGMOL.”
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