Erik ten Hag expressed his frustration over what he perceived as an unjust decision by the video assistant referee (VAR) that resulted in Manchester United's 2-1 loss to West Ham at the London Stadium. The Red Devils were left fuming when Michael Oliver, a highly respected senior official, instructed David Coote, the on-field referee, to review a collision in the penalty area involving Matthijs de Ligt and West Ham's Danny Ings. The home crowd had not vocally appealed for a penalty, and Coote initially waved play on, believing there was insufficient contact to award a spot-kick. However, after reviewing the incident, Coote changed his mind, and Jarrod Bowen's subsequent penalty in added time secured the win for West Ham, leaving United in 14th place and Ten Hag lamenting another decision that went against his team.
"Three times this season we have felt the injustice," Ten Hag stated. "We had to score, we created so many chances. We should have been two or three goals up. We allowed them back into the game. When you are losing 1-0, you need a big personality, and the team showed resilience to get back into it. It is unfair and unjust, the way we conceded the penalty." United had already seen Bruno Fernandes' red card against Tottenham overturned this season, and they were aggrieved last week when De Ligt was not allowed to return to the pitch after receiving treatment for an injury during the win over Brentford. These incidents made the latest setback even harder to accept, prompting Ten Hag to question the process that led to West Ham's winning goal.
"In football, the best team does not always win, that was clear and obvious, but the way VAR worked was not clear and obvious," the United manager said. "What they didn't do against Spurs, when they should have intervened on Bruno's red card, and now they make the wrong decision by interfering, both have a significant impact on the games. I don't criticize any individual, I criticize the process." Ten Hag, whose position may come under scrutiny again, admitted that United were at fault for not finishing off West Ham in the first half. "We always look in the mirror, but I can only criticize the players for not scoring. The referee's decision-making had a big impact on this game." Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui insisted that West Ham deserved the victory and did not question the refereeing. "I asked Danny Ings, and he said it was a penalty," West Ham's manager said. "The VAR called the referee, and the referee said yes. I am sure they had a strong reason to say yes."
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