Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has spoken out on the controversial last-gasp winner against Leicester in the FA Cup, he admits believing that officials should have disallowed the goal—scored by ex-Leicester defender Harry Maguire in stoppage time. Replays clearly showed Maguire was offside, but with VAR not operational in the early rounds of the competition, the decision stood, sparking fury among Leicester fans.
The decisive goal sealed a come-from-behind victory for United at Old Trafford, propelling them into the fifth round of the FA Cup. However, the lack of a VAR intervention has left opponents and pundits questioning the fairness of the ruling.
Amorim expressed his mixed feelings on the matter, stating:
“With VAR, it’s not a goal. I think it’s important to have VAR because it makes the game fair. It’s hard to lose like that with an offside play, but we deserve a little bit of luck.”
The sentiment was echoed by former United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, who criticized the decision as emblematic of a broader issue in match officiating.
“We were not defeated in Fergie time; we were defeated in offside time. This decision, which was off by half a metre, is hard to swallow at our level,” he remarked.
Van Nistelrooy further lamented that United deserved at least a draw to push the game into extra time, where the outcome could have been more balanced.
Other voices in the football community weighed in as well. Ex-United skipper Roy Keane commented on ITV, saying,
“That’s a poor decision; the assistant referee has got to see that. Big decisions like these need to be correct.”
Similarly, Ian Wright noted,
“Look where the linesman is. It affects the manager’s career because it’s another loss. It would have been a huge confidence booster if the decision was right, but the officials must step up.”
Despite the FA Cup win, United currently find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League table, teetering closer to the relegation zone than the bottom three. When asked if an FA Cup triumph could salvage his inaugural season at Old Trafford, Amorim was unambiguous:
“I don’t see a cup win saving the season. For me, everything comes down to results and performance. Right now, it’s not good enough. We must move forward to the next stage.”
As Manchester United prepare to defend their FA Cup title—won under former manager Erik ten Hag—the controversy over the VAR decision continues to underscore the challenges facing the club, both on and off the pitch.
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