Manchester United’s Harry Maguire nodded the ball home in the 93rd minute to save his side’s defence of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Friday night. Despite the Englishman being in an offside position, the goal was given – but why was that?
Leicester City‘s Bobby Reid opened the scoring three minutes shy of the half-time whistle to cap off a sluggish first half of football. Van Nistelrooy would have entered the interval as the happier of the two managers, but Ruben Amorim enjoyed the last laugh.
Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee, two substitutes, combined to give the home fans a glimmer of hope in the 68th minute, but the primary point of contention is over why an offside Maguire was allowed to wheel away in celebration.
Neither side gave a glittering account of themselves under Old Trafford’s bright lights, but it was Maguire who provided those within the 74,310-seater with the crowning moment: an all-important winner to secure passage into the fifth round.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes directed a ball into a congested 18-yard box and Leicester’s high line didn’t pay off. Maguire and some of his fellow teammates were between the line of Leicester and Mads Hermansen, who reacted poorly to the free-kick.
The linesman failed to flag for offside and a sea of red shirts wandered over to the jubilant fans in the corner. Often a referee’s saving grace, VAR was unable to get involved as the much-maligned technology is only used in the FA Cup – the oldest competition in football history – from the fifth round onwards.
The official FA website states that all parties were in agreement that VAR will only be in use from the fifth round through to the Wembley Stadium-based final on May 17, 2025. Its statement read:
Video Assistant Referees (VAR) will only be used in the 2024-25 Emirates FA Cup from the Fifth Round onwards. It has been agreed that VAR will be utilised for every match in the Fifth Round of the competition through to the Final at Wembley Stadium, and will not be in operation for the Third and Fourth Rounds.
Explaining why, they continued: “VAR has only been used in the Emirates FA Cup previously for matches at Wembley Stadium and at Premier League grounds due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation. This decision ensures that there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs taking part in the same stage of the competition.”
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Manchester United 2-1 Leicester City: Player Ratings and Match Highlights
Manchester United advances to the fifth round of the FA Cup in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 victory against Leicester City on Friday evening.
As alluded to, VAR was in use in the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup if the tie was played at a Premier League ground. Ahead of this season, however, the rule was changed – and Manchester United have been the latest beneficiary of said change.
After beating Arsenal, on penalties, in the third round, Amorim’s men will learn their next opponents on the evening of Monday 10 February. Next up for the 20-time English champions is a trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League.
