Crystal Palace criticizes Manchester United's penalty decision as home favoritism! Should have been a red card but no penalty, Cunha's cunning

Manchester United's 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace saw a red card and penalty decision by referee Chris Kavanagh in the second half become the match's pivotal moment.

At that moment, Cunha received a brilliant pass from Bruno Fernandes and was poised to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper when he was pulled back by Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, who had scored earlier. Cunha fell in the box, and following an extended VAR check, the referee awarded a penalty and showed a red card. After the match, this decision was heavily criticized by Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner.

Initially, Kavanagh only pointed to the penalty spot. After VAR intervention, Lacroix was sent off with a red card. The Premier League Match Centre explained in a statement: "In the 52nd minute, VAR intervened, and after review, the referee overturned the initial decision of not showing a red card to Lacroix. The referee announced: After review, Crystal Palace player No. 5 (Lacroix) clearly committed a foul, denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The final decision is a penalty and a red card."

Glasner believed the red card was the correct decision, as Lacroix was the last defender, but he argued it should not have been a penalty. "That red card completely changed the game," Glasner said. "I think it's a controversial decision; the foul occurred outside the box. Cunha was very clever; he waited until he entered the penalty area before going down."

Replays showed that Lacroix clearly pulled Cunha back outside the penalty area. However, as the £62.5 million United forward stepped into the box, the Crystal Palace defender's contact was minimal, merely placing a hand on his shoulder.

When asked again about the decision, Glasner said: "We communicated with the fourth official. They said the lengthy VAR check was to confirm offside, where the foul started, and whether a red card should be issued. There were several different scenarios to consider. But it feels like the final decision was still wrong. It wasn't a penalty; perhaps a red card should have been given for the foul outside the box, but the foul did happen outside. It might seem a bit like home favoritism at Old Trafford."

Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards also mentioned Cunha's cleverness post-match on Sky Sports. "Taking an early 1-0 lead, you certainly want to hold on. But after the red card, Manchester United pushed on and secured the win. Overall, I'm disappointed with today's result but proud of our performance. When you play at a stadium like Old Trafford, the home team might get some favorable decisions; that's football. Cunha is a smart player; he understands the game well and knows to go down immediately when pulled in the box. He did that very well. Playing with ten men definitely affected us, but our performance today was undoubtedly good, and we put on a great match."

Glasner was once considered a top candidate for the Manchester United manager position, especially when Crystal Palace was in strong form, remaining unbeaten at home for nine months. However, since losing 1-2 to United at home on November 30 last year, the Austrian manager's fortunes have declined. Last week's victory over Wolves was his first win at Selhurst Park in nearly four months. Glasner has also fallen out with the club's hierarchy, earning comparisons to "Crystal Palace's Rúben Amorim," as both employ a 3-4-3 formation!

Interestingly, Glasner remains the second favorite in the betting odds for United's next manager, behind only Michael Carrick, likely mainly because his contract expires this summer, allowing a free transfer.

Regarding the competition for the manager position this summer, Carrick stated he hasn't considered it. "Honestly, I haven't thought about it at all until it was mentioned. It's completely irrelevant. I have great respect for Crystal Palace and Oliver (Glasner), as well as for the opponents on the pitch and their performance—absolutely no disrespect intended."

Carrick concluded: "For us, the next match is the most important. We are in a good position now and continue to move forward. Currently, we focus only on the immediate tasks, striving to achieve our goals, which is to finish higher in the league. That's the only thing on my mind right now."