PGMO chief Howard Webb admits referee ‘error’ during Man United’s Brentford defeat

Manchester United lost 3-1 to Brentford in their last Premier League away game and the result put serious pressure on Ruben Amorim’s future at the club

PGMO chief Howard Webb has reportedly admitted to Manchester United that Brentford defender Nathan Collins should have been sent off in their defeat on September 27.

With United trailing 2-1 after an Igor Thiago brace which was pegged back by Benjamin Sesko, the Reds won a penalty after Collins tugged back Bryan Mbeumo inside the penalty area. The spot kick was rightly awarded but the punishment for Collins by referee Craig Pawson was merely a booking.

Had Collins made a genuine attempt to play the ball, a booking would have sufficed in this scenario thanks to the recently introduced ‘double jeopardy’ rule. However, it seemed clear at the time that Collins did not make a genuine attempt and he was the last man, thus preventing Mbeumo having a goalscoring opportunity.

The decision not to send off Collins would feel even more bitter when Bruno Fernandes missed his penalty and Mathias Jensen scored late to win the game 3-1. According to the Daily Mail, United chiefs Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox sought clarification on the decision with Webb who admitted the mistake.

It is claimed that United did not want to make a ‘public fuss’ about the situation and appreciated Webb’s rational explanation for why the mistake was made. Of course, had Collins been sent off the context of the game could have been a lot different with United having roughly 20 minutes against ten men to seek an equaliser.

What’s more, the defeat caused significant pressure to mount on Ruben Amorim which may not have been the case had the match finished differently. MEN Sport understands that United are not currently considering sacking their Portuguese head coach.

Despite reports stating that Gareth Southgate is among the names that Ineos are considering replacing Amorim with, there are believed to have been no contacts made with other managers regarding the currently filled position at Old Trafford. Fortunately for United, they put the defeat to Brentford behind them on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland.

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