Man United had a big penalty shout during the first half of the match vs Chelsea but referee Start Attwell chose not to award it after watching it on the pitchside monitor.
The ball did hit Callum Hudson-Odoi’s hand inside the penalty box and much to everyone’s surprise the referee chose not to point to the spot and the game carried on.
After the match, many pundits and ex-referees claimed that Man United should have been awarded a penalty due to the handball and according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the referee chose to lean otherwise due to the recent influence from some PL managers.
He said while talking about the penalty: “We could’ve had a penalty, it’s so clear and nailed on that you can’t even fathom why he never gave it, when he was told to have a look at it.
“They probably thought his hand was in a very natural position, when he flicked that ball. It’s gone now. We should have had a penalty, that’s clear, and I’m a bit concerned we don’t get those penalties after what noises were made a month or two ago about us getting penalties. Clearly, there is a point of managers influencing the referees, which they shouldn’t do.
“That’s[talking about harsh decision] just the nature of us as managers, isn’t it? Anything that goes against you, you probably want to highlight if something goes for other teams, like you try to stop that probably but I trust the referees not to be influenced by it.
“I was very surprised by the decision today when I looked at the video. Live, I didn’t think it was a penalty and I understand why he didn’t give it. When you look at the video, it’s not a very natural position to have your hand in.”
Everyone is agreeing to the fact that Hudson-Odoi was a lucky man but this decision might have robbed Man United of two more points. After the draw, United are now 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City.
Apart from this incident, there is nothing much to talk about from the match which is why if Man United had taken the lead from this supposed penalty then they might well have held on to win the match 1-0.
