Fulham lashes out at Manchester United's first goal, condemning a massive refereeing error! Premier League officially explains the reason

Fulham lost 2-3 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Despite trailing 0-2, they persevered, rallied, and managed to equalize in injury time, but eventually were defeated by Sheshko's decisive goal. Head coach Marco Silva condemned referee John Brooks and VAR assistant James Bell's disputed calls, asserting these decisions caused the team to come away empty-handed.

In the 16th minute, Brooks awarded a penalty to Manchester United, ruling that Jorge Cuenca fouled Cunha inside the box. However, slow-motion replays showed that Cuenca's tackle made contact with the ball, indicating no foul occurred.

After review by the VAR assistant referee, Brooks informed the crowd via microphone that the decision was overturned to a free kick for Manchester United on the right side of the penalty area.

VAR footage revealed that Cuenca did pull Cunha's shirt before entering the penalty area, but released it before crossing the line. This was a foul, but a crucial issue remained: whether the referee initially awarded the penalty because of Cuenca’s tackle or due to the shirt pulling.

If the penalty was given because of Cuenca’s tackle, then according to the rules, VAR can only review that particular action. If determined no foul occurred, Fulham would be awarded a goal kick. Because the shirt pull outside the box is not considered a clear error, the VAR assistant cannot intervene.

However, since these two actions happened almost simultaneously, the Premier League officials insisted the referee penalized Cuenca’s shirt-pulling foul, which led to the penalty decision. VAR's intervention was to analyze whether the foul took place inside the box, leaving Fulham with no recourse.

Manchester United capitalized on this free kick opportunity, with Bruno Fernandes delivering a cross that Casemiro powerfully headed into the goal, leaving Bernd Leno helpless as the ball went in.

After the match, Silva angrily accused the referees of making excuses to cover their mistakes: "Our entire team performed excellently, especially in the second half when we played better and controlled possession more. Manchester United tried to press high, but we were unaffected. They scored when we lost focus, and one of our goals was disallowed. This is football—hard to accept, but we have to face reality."

Silva added: "The story of this game started with Brooks’ terrible penalty decision. From that moment, that dreadful call, a huge error, was something Premier League fans, coaches, and players had never seen before. We must overcome all frustration and strive to win the next match."

Regarding the controversial decision, Silva criticized: "The penalty was clearly given due to the tackle, but then the referee, realizing the mistake, found an earlier foul. I understand why the referee awarded the penalty, but VAR’s decision was completely different. They tried to find some justification to award a free kick, but the shirt pull was not the real reason for the penalty."

Silva received a yellow card for complaining to Brooks about the decision. Later, in the 69th minute, Cuenca, involved in the first controversy, scored on a rebound, bringing Fulham to 1-2. However, VAR intervened again, ruling out the goal due to a marginal offside by his teammate during a challenge with Lisandro Martínez.

“I understand my players and our fans, but we have to respect the referees and officials,” Silva said. “I don’t want to say more because I don’t want another yellow card—I still want to coach from the sidelines.”

However, the referee seemed to compensate for Fulham’s earlier misfortune by awarding a penalty after Maguire’s reckless tackle on Harry Wilson. Fulham’s forward Raúl Jiménez converted the spot-kick. Although this decision was somewhat controversial, Maguire’s flying tackle with his foot off the ground justified the penalty.

Silva was sent off last season during Fulham’s FA Cup penalty shootout win over Manchester United. Interestingly, his contract with Fulham expires this summer, fueling rumors that this Portuguese coach could become Manchester United’s official manager next season.